


Blown Cover

by RosyTintedFlash



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Diabetes, Dubious Consent, Erwin is hopelessly lovesick, Kidnapping, Lies, Loss of Identity, M/M, OCD, Pain, Rough Sex, Sadism, Sexual Content, Undercover, Will add tags as I go, all the characters are BAMFs, eren is diabetic!, i'll let you guess who has ocd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-06-12 22:50:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15350484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosyTintedFlash/pseuds/RosyTintedFlash
Summary: Eren works for a private investigation company. Though a young high school senior, he is brilliant and has helped crack many cases involving violent crimes. This one, however, may just crack him.He might be a little too good at hunting down his prey for his own good. In this line of work, the prey can become the predator within seconds.





	1. Chapter 1

"Hello there, little one." 

Eren jumped up in his seat, startled. The man he saw had dark hair, dull blue eyes, and a slight smirk that said  _I could devour you if I wanted to._ It pissed Eren off. He stirred his vodka soda with a tiny, red straw, and let his eyes face the dark, smokey wall on the other end of the bar.  He wasn't in the mood to indulge this asshole. 

"Little?" asked Eren, his eyes still averted. He formed a tiny smirk of his own. "That's rich coming from a man of... _your_ stature." The man before him only appeared more amused than before. Eren could practically see it in his peripheral. He rolled his eyes and sipped on his drink. 

"Look, kid. It's not wise to take drinks from strangers. Didn't your parents ever teach you that?" Eren shot the man an insulted glare. 

"I bought this drink myself."

"My partner and I took note of you a while ago," the man began, his tone more serious than before, "and we saw that guy bring you the drink. Do you even know him?" 

"Wow. My own personal stalkers. And to what do I owe this pleasure?" He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, challenging the man. 

"Are you gay?" 

"What!? No!" 

"But you're in a gay bar..." 

"Damn. You got me there," replied Eren in a mocking tone. The man laughed silently through his nose and began to turn away from the kid. 

"Just watch yourself, okay? Kids like you don't belong here alone at this time of night," he said, genuine care in his voice as he headed back to his table. 

"I'm twenty-one!" 

"Still a kid," replied the man with a hand-wave as he reached his table, his voice echoing in the distance. 

"What a freaking weirdo," he mumbled under his breath. He pulled out his phone and noted the time-- it was 11:30. School was at 7:00 sharp, so he supposed his little escapade was nearing its end. Curiosity getting the better of him, he carefully eyed the man's table from across the room, doing his best to be secretive. The guy was seated with a fairly large, blond man with perfectly gelled back hair. Both were wearing business suits and seemed to be looking over paperwork. _Who brings their work to a bar?_ "Huh. Weird," he said to himself. They were definitely an odd site. Eren had never seen them before, and he'd been regularing this bar for a few months now. Maybe they were on a business trip or something. He shrugged and threw his messenger bag over his shoulder, heading for the exit. 

"Aww, leaving already, Sebastian?" 

"It's about that time, Benny. Thanks for the drink," replied Eren, smiling politely. 

"I still haven't seen you properly drunk! I just know it'd be a site," said the man, laughing, others around him joining in. Benny was a large, burly man, probably in his late thirties, Eren estimated. He was pretty much always at that bar and he was always really nice to Eren, showering him with jokes and humorous stories. And of course, a single vodka soda. Benny would buy him many more if Eren obliged, but he hadn't so far. He wasn't there to get drunk. 

"Maybe next time," said Eren with a laugh. He waved goodbye to everyone and pushed the door open. While approaching his car, he felt a weird feeling. As if he was being followed. He looked at the reflection of the bar's windows and didn't see any figures. He sighed and opened the door to his car. _That guy got to me, I guess. Making me all paranoid and shit._  Just when he was sure there was nothing to worry about, he heard an all too familiar sound: the cock of a gun. Not wasting a second, he pulled a pistol from his pocket and turned around, aiming it at a face before he even saw it. 

"What... you're that blond giant guy," said Eren, his voice airy and eyes focused. The man in front of him towered over Eren, his crystal blue eyes not leaving his for even a moment. 

"Drop your gun," he demanded, his voice cold and stern. It was a deep voice. One that didn't sound like a good idea to argue with. 

"Uh, how about you drop _your_ gun," Eren spat, his grip on his gun growing stronger. But with a gun in your face, argument with this guy was pretty damn necessary. Unless, of course, Eren shot him first. He was pretty sure he could; his skills were nothing to scoff at. But he _really_ didn't want to cause a scene. 

Then, he felt a hard, cold object touch the back of his head. His blood turned into ice and he froze. 

"I told you it was dangerous here, Sebastian," said that same voice from earlier. Eren dropped his gun and sighed, sounding annoyed. The man from behind looked to the blond in front, raising an eyebrow. 

"What the hell! You're one sick fuck, you know that? Warning me about those guys in the bar when it's you who's the real piece of shit." 

"Are you really throwing a tantrum while there's a gun to your head? You're quite the brat," said the man, the warmth in his voice from earlier nonexistent now. He cuffed Eren's hands behind his back. "You're in your twenties now, Sebby. Time to grow the fuck up." The blond man slid his gun into a hidden holster and walked up to the two, pulling a rag from his pocket. Shit, thought Eren. It's a gag. 

"Look, guys, let's just talk for a minute before you do anything rash, okay? I'm..." Eren's body was tense with conflict. If he wanted to save himself, he had to do the one thing he really, really didn't want to do. 

"Gag this idiot already, Erwin," said the dark haired man from behind, his tone exasperated and tired. His body jolted at the name. _Erwin_. _Fuck._

"I'm not Sebastian," he whispered, eyes shamefully glued to his feet. Erwin was just about to shove the rag into his mouth.

"What was that?" 

"I'm not Sebastian. I'm... I was just pretending to be." Before he could even blink, he fell to his knees in pain, a sharp jab to his side taking a few seconds to process. 

"Was that necessary, Levi?" asked the blond man, hardly amused. 

"I'm not in the mood for this little shit's lies. Please. Just shut him up before I do." Erwin held his hand up, silencing the other man despite his clear annoyance. He bent down to Eren's level and slid a hand into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. 

"Sebastian M. Ashford," Erwin cooly stated, shoving the ID into his own pocket. "Age: 21, Height: 5'8, Eyes: Green..." he said, going over what he had read on the card. He looked down at Eren and clicked his tongue. 

"It's a fake, you idiot!" Eren managed to yell out, still wincing in pain on the ground. "What kind of amateurs are you?" A hard kick to the head finally left him silent; he was conscious, but incredibly dazed. The kick was so rough that the pain probably wouldn't manifest until hours later. 

"I'm going to kill him, Erwin. I swear I will--" Erwin cut him off by standing between Levi and Eren, his arms pulling Eren over his shoulder. 

"Let's not make a scene," he implored. Levi let out a frustrated groan and conceded, following him to their own car. 

"I get to kill him when the time comes," demanded the smaller man. Erwin tossed him into the trunk. Eren realized he was in serious trouble now. But he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could hardly hear, but he definitely recognized the word _kill_. Darkness surrounded him and sounds only became more muffled as the trunk slammed shut. 

"He's all yours."

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Open your mouth. I want to make sure I do this right." 

Eren stared at the gun barrel held to his face. Never had he been in hot water like this. He was really about to lose his life. How had he been so careless? 

"I don't have all night, kid. Open your mouth or I'll make sure your death is a painful one." Levi held the gun against Eren's tightly sealed lips. He looked into the man's eyes, studying the dull expression that somehow encompassed a multitude of anger and wrath. He really hated this Sebastian guy for some reason. Enough to kill without so much as a second glance. To the right, Erwin was sitting on the couch, his eyes forcefully glued to a book. The large man seemed to be feeling uneasy. Maybe he didn't want Eren dead, unlike the maniac shoving a gun to his mouth. 

"Levi, I'm not who you're looking for! Please, don't make such a horrible mistake," pleaded Eren, only to be met with another sharp pain, this time the target his face. Blood dripped down his nose as he did all he could to maintain lucidity in the situation. As the only trump card left, he looked to Erwin. He had to come clean and hope the other man had enough sense to, at the very least, postpone his murder. 

"Erwin," he said, quietly, almost whispering so as not to upset Levi, "I'm just a high school student. The ID is fake. I work for a secret company that tracks down criminals." Erwin didn't look up from his book or change his expression. Was he even listening? "My name is Eren Yeager! I'm not Sebastian! You have to believe me!" he confessed, yelling now, the desperation heavy in his tone. Pride be damned, he was begging for his life. 

His display was put to an end when Levi forced the gun into his mouth and cocked the gun. Eren tried to jerk his head away, but Levi held him in place by his hair. 

"Shut up," said Levi, his voice deceptively calm and expressionless. "An eye for an eye, Sebastian. Time to pay up." Tears ran down Eren's face as he slowly began to accept defeat. He closed his eyes, his quiet whimpers muffled by the gun. 

"Wait!" Erwin ran over to Levi, a phone in his hand. He showed an image on the phone to Levi who promptly pulled the gun from Eren's mouth. The gun fell from his hand and he grabbed the phone, cradling it as looked from the image to Eren. "It's him, Levi." 

" _Eren Yeager. Promising new Senior student at Trost High School. Seventeen years old_..." Levi's voice cracked and he could feel his legs giving out. Erwin wrapped his arms around him, both trying to comfort him and keep him steady. He gently rubbed his back as Levi took the situation in. 

"It's alright," he murmured into the back of Levi's neck, his voice much softer and warm than when he was talking to Eren earlier. 

"I almost killed..." he paused, seeming to zone out for a moment. "I almost killed a child. An _innocent_ child."

"But you didn't."

"Oh, poor you!" Erwin and Levi both jerked their heads down to where Eren still sat, blood now dripping from his face to the floor. "I'm real sorry you almost killed me and all, but how about freeing my hands? I really need to wipe my face," he barked, his voice oddly sassy for someone who nearly got shot just moments before. He began coughing as saliva and blood started to drip down the corners of his mouth. Eren dropped his head back in relief, the light from the room adorning his face, revealing a forming black eye. 

"Well. Thanks for making it so easy to forgive myself," scoffed Levi, bending down to Eren's level. "You really are a fucking brat." 

"And you're a fucking _psycho_ ," he quipped, avoiding making any eye contact, though he could feel Levi's eyes all over him. Soon, long, slender fingers touched his face, slowly wiping streaks of blood from Eren's sore skin, causing him to wince. "I'd rather do this myself. You mind?"

"I do. I'm not sure it would be wise to let you go," said the small man, wiping his bloody fingers on a handkerchief. 

"I'm sure it would be alright, Levi," interrupted Erwin as he fell back onto the couch, seeming relieved himself. 

"Man, remind me to buy this guy a fucking fruit basket," mumbled Eren, feeling thoroughly thankful for Erwin's presence. 

"I don't know, Erwin. He's a pretty thing, isn't he? Maybe we should keep him." Eren shot Levi an incredulous look. 

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Literally two minutes ago you almost shot me in the throat. Now you're hitting on me!?"

"If you call 'hitting on' someone threatening to hold them captive, then sure. Yeah." A sinister smile formed on Levi's face, his eyes clearly humored. Relief switched to panic instantly in Eren's mind, and it showed on his face. Horrific scenarios began racing through his head when he heard a deep laugh, snapping him back to reality. 

"Calm down, Eren. He's kidding." Erwin walked over to Levi, both of them now staring down at the kid they almost snuffed out of this world. The vibe was light hearted now, but Erwin knew Levi would be sick over this for a while. 

"My god. I can't believe I believed you were twenty-one," bluntly stated Levi, his eyes evaluating the boy's appearance. "Well, Eren. It's been a long night. For all of us. We won't hurt you. But we won't be stupid enough to let you go yet. A lot needs to be cleared up first." Erwin looked down to Levi, shooting him a confused glance. 

"We can't just keep a child hostage, Levi." 

"You know as well as I do that he was in fact after us. Maybe he isn't the asshole we thought he was, but he _is_ still a threat."

"Baby, look at him. You feel threatened by this boy?" Eren looked utterly offended. 

"Fuck off, old man! If I wasn't outnumbered, you would be in the hospital right now with a bullet to the leg," spat Eren, an angry glare directed towards the blond man. Erwin only smiled. 

"I do like him."

"Like I said, baby. Want to keep him?" replied Levi, a playful smirk on his face. 

"Take these damn cuffs off!" he yelled, frustrated with the lax attitude of his apparent captors. Anger had kept him relatively focused, but the pain from earlier was becoming more and more intense, especially the kick Levi landed to his head. He looked to the floor and saw his blood speckled all around his body and suddenly felt dizzy, falling onto his side. Erwin bent down and looked his body over, a wave of concern overtaking him.  The man looked up to Levi who had an unreadable expression. 

"Don't look at me like that. I'll call her. Keep him awake until she gets here." With that, the small man walked off, leaving Erwin and Eren alone in the living room. He let a light touch trail across the boy's hairline, effectively soothing his throbbing head and pushing damp hair off his forehead. 

"I'm so sorry, Eren."


	3. Chapter 3

"Here's some water."

"Thanks," said Eren, taking the water with his newly freed hand. While Levi had disappeared for around thirty minutes, Erwin took him out of the cuffs and gave him some ice and bandages. He was now leaning on the wall, still sitting on the floor. From the couch, Erwin watched him attentively. Eren looked to the door but his vision quickly darted back to the glass of water, taking a sip soon after. 

"Don't." Eren sighed. 

"I have school in the morning." Erwin dropped his head into a hand, the other hand clutching his thigh. 

"You won't be able to go, Eren. I"m sorry."

"Why? Because your crazy boyfriend says so?" He scoffed and took another drink, nearly the entire contents of the glass emptying this time. He didn't realize how dehydrated he really was. The cool, heavy water hit his stomach hard, causing some light, but unpleasant nausea. He rested a hand on his abdomen and huffed. "Really, though. You're digging a deeper and deeper grave. Surely you're aware of that." Erwin remained silent for a moment before returning his gaze to Eren's, his eyes cold now. The nausea grew. 

"Why were you after us?" 

"You're criminals. It's my job." 

"You're a child." Eren laughed, closing his eyes. 

"I haven't been a child since I was thirteen. You see, I'm kinda one of those prodigy things. Whatever that means." Erwin's face scrunched in confusion. "I know I may not seem like the brightest, but my deductive reasoning skills suggest otherwise. I'm a master problem solver," he said with a shrug. 

"You're still a child."

"Tell that to my father." 

"Your father makes you do this? Put your life on the line?" Eren's eyes glazed over and he stared up at Erwin, a lazy smile on his face. 

"You're not exactly a great candidate for self-righteousness, pal." A few minutes pass. Both are silent. Eren seems to be falling asleep, and Erwin returns to his book from before. This could be his only chance. 

He makes a break for it. 

"Eren! Stop!" He reaches the door, the adrenaline in his veins going crazy, blinding him from everything that isn't getting the hell out of this building. He turns the knob, but it turns too easily for just one person to be turning it. The door opens and two people are on the other side. Eren jumps back and feels the water in his stomach slosh around in sickening waves as he stumbles backwards. He only gets so far back, though, before a large, warm body traps him, arms wrapped tightly around his upper body. 

"Eren..?" He knows this voice. "Eren! Oh, my god!" 

"Ms. Zoe!?" 

"You know each other?" asks Levi, closing the door behind them. Hange darts right over to Eren and rips Erwin's arms from him. She cradles his face in her hands. 

"I'm his biology teacher," she says, panic thick on her tongue. She examines his face and it's obvious she's angry. She turns around to Levi. "You will let him go. _Tonight_." Levi's eyes narrow and he crosses his arms. She turns back to Eren and shines a tiny light into his eyes, causing him to squint. 

"You're friends with these scumbags? Like... _really_?"

"She _works_ with these scumbags," snaps Levi. Eren's mouth hangs open without him even realizing it. 

"What the fuck is going on..."

" _Language_ , Mr. Yeager. You have a light concussion, Eren, but it's nothing to worry about. Your head will probably ache for a while, but your health will be just fine." She slides the light back into her pocket. He yanks his body away from her, his back now against the door. 

"I just found out you work with violent criminals. I'll spout all the 'fucks' I want, lady."

"Eren," begins Hange, her grave eyes digging into his, "You can't say anything about any of this. You didn't meet these two. And you certainly didn't see me." He stares at her in disbelief. 

"We don't want to kill you, kid. Don't force us to." Levi looks at Eren for a moment with those bored, lifeless eyes before walking off to a room, closing the door behind him. 

"I trust you understand the situation, Eren," said Erwin, his calm demeanor ringing false. "We aren't opponents you want," his tone shifting to ominous. With that, he joins Levi in the room. Eren looks at Hange, anger washing over him. 

He leaves without saying another word. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nice black eye, Yeager."

"I'm really not in the mood, Jean." Eren shoved some books into his locker and closed the door. He rested his head against the cold metal, letting out an exasperated sigh. 

"Seriously. What happened?"

"You know I take boxing. My opponent got a little carried away." 

"Christ. I'll say." Jean pulled on Eren's collar and yanked him forward, taking a good look at him. Eren stared at him with hooded eyes. "The least you coulda done was use it as an excuse to stay home today. I just don't get you, man." Eren pushed him away and headed to the class he was dreading most. 

"You know my dad, Jean. I could be on my death bed and he'd still expect me to get straight As," he said as he walked away, waving the other boy off. 

"Take care of yourself, dude."

"Yep."

Biology class with Ms. Zoe, if that's even her real name, wasn't as terribly awkward as Eren thought it would be. He was still angry with her, though. He hadn't decided if he was going to report what happened to the police or not. It was his job, but... now it was dangerous. He wasn't used to not actually catching his prey. This was a new situation for him. They know exactly who he is. Where he goes to school. His address. Still. Eren was a stubborn one. He desperately wanted the three to pay for their crimes. Whatever they were. 

At the end of the day, he slipped out of the building, trying to avoid any other friends for the day. He didn't feel like explaining the black eye to anyone else. He instinctively headed for his car but soon realized... it was still at that bar. 

"Shit." He kicked a rock across the parking lot and pulled out his phone before a limousine pulled up right beside him. He would be confused if he weren't a professional criminal hunter; it was obviously someone working for Levi and Erwin. The back window pulled down, revealing a face he could have done without seeing for a long while. 

"Hello, Eren. Get in. I'll take you to your car," said Erwin, a mannerly smile plastered on his face. Eren grunted and begrudgingly walked to the other side, plopping himself onto the seat next to Erwin. He crossed his arms and stared out the window, clearly unhappy. Erwin laughed. "You really do intrigue me." 

"I'm flattered," he mumbled, resting his head on the window. 

"How's the head?"

"I really don't feel like talking."

"Alright." 

The two sat quietly for a few minutes. Eren was incredibly aware of Erwin sliding closer and closer to him. He turned to shoot him a glare. 

"You cold or what?"

"Very." 

"Well, sorry, but I'm hot." Erwin smirked.

"Yes, you are." Eren pushed him away, flustered. Levi had seemed like the scarier one, and Erwin had seemed harmless. Now Eren sensed something else in the tall, blond man: a dangerous entitlement. "Just take me to my car. Christ." Erwin laughed again and shifted back to his seat, going through his blackberry. Who the hell still has blackberries?

After about ten minutes, they arrived. Eren immediately jumped out without saying anything. 

"Eren." 

"Yeah?" he asked with a loud exhale. 

"Just remember that we're watching. Behave yourself."

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Levi and Erwin had immediately checked out of the apartment they rented before the whole mishap went down. Surreptitious movers who worked for them in the business cleared out all of their things within the blink of an eye, it seemed. And just like that, they were gone. Zero trace of them left behind. 

They were now set up in a new apartment. It was over a large river. Levi actually preferred it to the old location. It was nice to just go outside on the balcony and let is mind lose itself in the gentle waves. He was sitting in a chair now and staring at the water. He almost found himself falling asleep, which was becoming harder and harder for him lately. 

But then that damn cell phone had to go off. 

"What is it?" he answered with a yawn. He listened for a moment before angrily pulling himself to his feet. "What the fuck do you mean they cut you short?" And of course, everything came crashing down. Again. "You better fucking get that money back, Lorenzo. You have your gun, right?" About a minute passes as he tries to patiently listen to his subordinate. "I don't care." He stood up and looked yet again to the water. What was it to be a wave? It must be so easy to just shift directions... to change paths. " _Kill_ him."

What he wouldn't give for that ability. 

He ended the call and pulled the phone apart into tiny pieces, throwing them into the water. He watched as they disappeared beneath the angry tides. All evidence washed away. Forever hidden. 

He hated hiding. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Please! _Please_! Don't shoot me, please! My boss... he took the money. I had no choice!"

"Orders are orders, Josh." The gun clicked, ready to shoot. But before he could pull the trigger, he hit the ground, dropping the gun. 

Multiple police officers scattered the premises. A few ran to the man who was nearly shot-- they cuffed him. He was a wanted man, afterall. The crime? Drug dealing. 

The man they ran into the ground, however, was worth even more. He was tied to a drug cartel that ruled all the drug cartels in the area. The two were tossed into separate police cars. The morale was high amongst the police officers and detectives on the scene. One detective, however, was awarded special praise. 

"Kid, you really are the best," said a man with scraggly red-blond hair. "I really don't know how you do it." 

"My intuition can be a real bitch."

"I'm glad we're on the same team, Eren." 

"I bet you are, Hannes. I bet you are." Hannes ruffled the boy's hair a bit and shoved him playfully.

"That arrogance is gonna get you in trouble one day, though." He winked and headed over to the police car. Eren watched the scene wrap up until the very last car had pulled away. A sense of accomplishment filled his chest. It felt good to get more dangerous criminals off the street. Criminals like the one who killed... no. He wouldn't let the past cloud the present like that. He swallowed back any dread he felt flooding to the back of his throat and began heading to his car. He took one more look at the now silent, empty scene. Then drove home. 

When he walked through the door, nobody was home. _Dad must be working late again_ , he thought, unable to help the disappointment forming in his gut. 

"I need to get to sleep anyway," he said aloud to himself, looking at the clock. 10:30 PM. Still plenty of time for a decent night's rest before school. He walked to the bathroom and splashed water onto his face, feeling too tired for a full on shower tonight. After he dried his face with the towel, he rubbed his eyes, only for a blurry vision of an unfamiliar form to reveal itself in the door way. He jumped around and reached for his gun, only to realize he didn't have one. The figure dashed over to him and grabbed his arm, but Eren flipped it into an incredibly awkward position, a light crack sounding from the movement. 

"You stupid kid!" yelled the man. "My boss doesn't like it when people interfere with business. Even if it is only a kid." He pulled a pistol from his pocket and took aim. A shot went off, but Eren had bumped the intruder's elbow at the last second so the bullet missed and hit a cabinet, debris and dust steadily clouding the room. The boy knocked the gun from the man's hands and tackled him to the ground, pulling him into a headlock. "Aghhh! Get the hell off me!"

"Well. You weren't lying, were you, Eren? You really are a force to be reckoned with." He let go of the man and stared up at the dusty silhouette. 

"Erwin! Shoot him!" yelled the boy's attacker. 

"Now, now. That wont be necessary. This was, after all, not his fault. He couldn't have known that he was going after anyone affiliated with us."

"You.. you're a drug dealer?" asked Eren, waving the airborne dust away from his face. Erwin frowned. 

"I don't deal, Eren. I oversee those who do." 

"That... that's even worse."

"Well, to each his own. But, I trust you still understand the conditions of our letting you live, correct?"

"You're a fucking kingpin!"

"I am. Now, I think it's time we alter the conditions a bit. It's clear that you're too _good_ for your _own_ good. I'm afraid there is no other option but for you to retire."

"Like hell I will, old man. You know I wont do that." Erwin closed his eyes, his face saddened. 

"Yes, I know." Eren yelled out at a sudden sharp sensation pumping through his neck, quickly pulling what looked like a dart from his flesh. This was definitely a tranquilizer. Time was limited now.  

He barreled past an infuriatingly calm Erwin and jolted through the door of his house and into the street. Pulling out his phone, he could already feel himself becoming lighter, almost floating. This wasn't good. The phone rang for what seemed to be an eternity until it finally reached who he was after. 

"Hannes! Hannes, I..." What was he doing again? "I... I... how are you?," he continued, pausing to stare at the clouds overhead. It looked like it would storm soon. Or maybe it was sunny? No, it was definitely cloudy. He dropped the phone, the screen cracking as it hit the pavement. He turned to face his house and saw Erwin slowly walking towards him as if he was on a fucking nature hike. Ah. Now he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He tried to run but a hand to his elbow stopped him, and his body went limp into Erwin's arms. He knew he should be terrified, but he wasn't. He felt warm and protected by those big arms. His head dipped backwards until his eyes were looking into the giant's, who had a gentle look in his eyes and a soft smile. 

"Shhhh. Go to sleep, sweetheart. Everything will be fine." 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Oh, what the _fuck_ , Erwin!" Levi glared at the man as he held that little brat's lifeless body in his arms. He gently sat him on the couch and pulled a blanket over his shivering body. 

"I didn't have a choice, Levi. It was either kill him or keep him. You did say you wanted to keep him, right?" he asked, flashing an obnoxious grin. 

"I hate this fucking kid. Really, now. He _would_ be the one to locate one of our jobs." Levi plopped down into a chair with a groan, crossing his legs and cradling a cup of tea. "Do you think the ones arrested will talk?"

"Not a chance. They know what would happen if they did." Levi nodded. 

"So, what do we do with him?" He eyed the sleeping boy on the couch, his chest rising and falling with light, steady breathing sounds drifting across the room. Levi looked pained. "We run a cartel, not a daycare." 

"Well, you were certainly right in thinking he'd be trouble if we let him go. I can't believe a kid like him is such a threat." 

"We aren't killing him." Levi was staring at Erwin now, unsure if he had hit the nail on the head or not. He hoped he hadn't. 

"I wouldn't dream of killing a beautiful kid like him," he admitted in a coaxing tone. Levi watched as Erwin ran his fingers through Eren's soft hair, feeling himself relax as each thread fell back to his head, one by one. 

"So. I guess we have a prisoner," he scoffed, sipping his tea. "This is low even for us."

"Nonsense. He'll be taken care of. Let's keep him here for a while and see if we can't reason with him. I don't plan on keeping him here forever."

"What if we can't convince him to quit?" Erwin smirked. 

"Then you'll finally get that pet you always wanted." Levi rolled his eyes.

"It was _you_ who wanted the pet."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Eren awoke hours later, his body still glued to the couch. He looked around and realized he wasn't home. But where was he? His body felt like puddy, each limb heavy and uncooperative. The smell. He remembered that smell... it was a warm, musky scent with mixes of pleasant spice and maybe a touch of something woodsy... oh, _no_. He remembered. He'd been caught. _Again_.

"You know I hate it when you cater to me like this," said a voice from the kitchen, Eren's heart jumping at the sound. He lifted his head to see his two _favorite_ people in a kitchen, the small one sitting in a chair while the freakishly large one waited on him, filling his plate with a variety of foods. Damn, it smelled pretty good...  

"You need to learn how to let me lavish you with nice things, Levi. You deserve it." Erwin pecked Levi on the cheek and then scooped some food into his own plate and sat in the chair opposite the other man. "I just want to take care of you." Levi scoffed. 

"I don't deserve you," he replied, holding a glass of wine into the air to meet Erwin's with a clink. They both sipped on the red liquid, Levi downing almost his entire glass. 

"Thirsty, are we?"

"For you, maybe," he said with a sly grin. Erwin returned the exchange and took a bite of his steak, his eyes unable to hide his sadness. 

"I wish I could touch you again," he confessed, his voice soft and regretful. Levi felt a lump form in his throat and pushed his plate away. He drank the rest of his wine and then pushed it away, as well. 

"Erwin, please. Don't start." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Wow, y'all are weirder than I thought," intruded Eren from the couch. The two men turned to see him in a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. Levi glared at him.

"Eavesdropping, huh?" Eren laughed.

"I know, I'm such a creep. Listening to my kidnappers' conversation while I try to figure where the fuck I am." Eren pulled himself unsteadily to his feet and dragged himself to the kitchen table, his eyes sparkling as they took the food into view. "So, uh. You gonna finish that?" Levi pushed the plate to an empty seat, saying nothing, and Eren sat down, wasting no time in devouring the delicious meats and vegetables sautéed to perfection. 

"Well, you sure aren't very shy," muttered Levi, cringing in disgust at the crumbs Eren was getting all over the table. 

"I'm glad you like it, Eren," happily chimed in Erwin. The plate was empty within mere minutes. Levi couldn't look away from the crumbs and sauces all over the table. He pushed his chair in and headed to some other location within the apartment. Erwin's eyes followed him, his demeanor slightly downcast as he heard the door shut in the back. He sighed and took another sip of his wine. 

"What's his problem?" 

"He just doesn't like mess, Eren." The older man smiled weakly and began cleaning the table. Eren sat in thought for a moment, appearing as though he wanted to question further. But he decided against it. "Your hands are shaking. The tranquilizer should be worn off by now. Do you feel alright?" 

"I was just hungry." Erwin hummed in acknowledgement and finished off the rest of his wine. "And diabetic." The man looked to Eren in surprise. 

"Diabetic?" Eren steadied one hand with the other, resting them on the table. 

"That's right."

"Don't diabetics take insulin?" Eren's eyelids hooded over his irises. 

"That's right." Erwin shot him an apologetic look and the boy clicked his tongue. "Oh, shut up. It isn't a death sentence. If you keep me here, though, it might turn into one. My insulin is at home..." Eren eyed the bulge underneath the bottom of the man's shirt. He knew it was a gun. And in his shakey, sleepy state, he knew he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight right now, even though it would be one-on-one this time. He sighed. 

"I'll have one of my men get it for you. Would that be alright?"

"It's cute how you act like I have a choice," he muttered, his eyes catching the clock on the wall. "Oh, god. 12 o'clock!? It's noon?! I'm missing school! I've been sleeping that long?" He reached into his pocket and fell into further panic. "My phone..."

"You broke it. Calm down, Eren. Why don't you go lay on the couch while we wait on your insulin?"

"My dad..." he started, "my friends will worry," he corrected, his eyes falling to the ground. 

"I really am sorry. But you can't leave. And not just because you're a danger to us. You're messing with some dangerous people, Eren."

"Yeah, I fucking know," he snapped. 

"I don't mean me and Levi. You've barked up a very precarious tree. Believe it or not, you're lucky it was us who got to you first. The man we're going up against right now? He'd have killed you already."

"Just stop talking. I'm sick of your voice. Do I get a room or something?" Erwin ushered him down a hall.

"Third room to the left is the guest room. It's yours for now." 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eren was laying on his pretty bomb ass bed, he couldn't lie. The room was quite something, lavished with every amenity one could want. A huge tv dawned the wall and the room was decked out with a mini bar, it's own bathroom with a Jacuzzi, and a mac desktop. _Fuck these rich ass motherfuckers_ , he thought, burying his face into one of the fluffy, goose-down pillows. He was getting a headache now, and he felt parched no matter how much water he drank. He knew his sugar was running high. He groaned and closed his eyes before the door swung open. 

"Special delivery for an annoying brat." Levi walked over to the bed and sat the insulin and needle on the nightstand. He was about to walk off, but he was bothered by how silent the room remained. He looked to Eren and crinkled a brow. "Get up and shoot up, kid. Or I'll do it myself." Eren sat up and gazed at Levi, his eyes struggling to focus. "You okay, kid?"

"Yes, but I'm really dizzy. Think you could stick me?" 

"Give you the shot? Fuck, no. I'll go get Erwin to do it," he said, rising from the bed before an arm grabbed him by the shirt. 

"Don't take this the wrong way, 'cus it's not that I trust you, but Erwin seems kinda... bulky. Your fingers are skinny and long. They look delicate! Please, you do it." Eren slipped his shirt off, revealing a thin but lean body riveted with light muscles. Levi found himself immersed in each curve for a moment, but quickly averted his vision to the insulin. He sighed and grabbed the bottle and needle, pushing the liquid into the syringe.

"Where do you want it?" Eren turned around so his back was facing the other man. He could see many disappearing, tiny holes at different stages of healing covering his body. 

"Anywhere on the back is fine."

"Isn't that kind of a painful place for a needle?" 

"The other parts of my body need a break. Just stick me, man. I'm getting nauseous." Levi obeyed and inserted the needle into the fleshiest part of his back he could find. He pulled it back out and saw a trail of blood dripping from the entrance site. It trailed down his spine and landed on the bedding. Levi jumped from the bed, his breath heavy and body reddening. Eren turned and looked puzzled. "Hey, it's okay. You did fine." He realized the situation was more serious when Levi fell to his knees and seemed to be struggling for air. 

Eren hopped up from the bed and sat next to the man, looking at him with curious eyes. It looked like an anxiety attack. Like the ones he used to have as a kid, right after the death of his mother. It hit Eren, though.

Now was a pretty good time to escape. 

He started walking to the now unlocked door and began turning the knob. He paused for a few moments.

"Goddamnit," he mumbled before darting back to Levi. He rubbed his damp back and grabbed him his glass of water. "Look, it's okay. I don't know what set you off, but just breathe." He kept rubbing his back as Levi's breath slowly began to steady itself. A few minutes passed and he seemed to check back into his surroundings. 

"I...I'm going to send someone in to change those sheets," was all he said before leaving the room, the click of a lock sounding from the other side. 

"Yeah. You're welcome, asshole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haven't abandoned my other fic. will return to it soon. xoxo


	6. Chapter 6

Alright. He was ready now. He'd been fed. Had his insulin. And the tranquilizer was totally out of his system. He wouldn't be _nice_ like he was before; he wasn't even sure what came over him. Why did he give up a chance of escape to help Levi? The guy was nothing but an asshole who quite literally nearly killed him once and now kept him prisoner. Eren scoffed. 

"I'm too fucking nice. That's my problem," he said to himself, a light laugh escaping his lips. _Right_. 

I guess the guy did help him with his insulin. Jesus, is that all it takes to redeem someone of attempted murder and kidnapping? Did he feel _sorry_ for him and his pathetic relationship problems?  _Nah, fuck him. I won't go soft again._

The hairs on his body stood straight up as he heard the door knob creak open. He held his breath without realizing it. 

Whoever entered was jabbed in the temple with a mean elbow, the body toppling to the floor with a loud thump. He winced at the noise and held his breath again as he waited silently to hear for any approaching footsteps. After about a minute passed with no one else coming, he could finally really exhale a full breath and he turned around to see who he knocked out. He... didn't recognize the guy. But he was armed to the teeth with weapons. "Three guns and four daggers? Really?" Why would someone sent to check on him be so heavily armed? Unless... they had decided to kill Eren afterall. Maybe that should have scared him, but all it did was make him angry. To think that he actually helped that short bastard. Gritting his teeth, he chose a gun and slid a dagger into his pocket. If they wanted him dead, why bring his insulin? Maybe they were more twisted and sadistic than Eren had realized. Maybe they wanted to torture him, or make sure he felt pain before he died. He put his rage aside as best he could and began prowling through the apartment. It was oddly quiet. It didn't feel right. He got to the foyer leading to the door, his heart racing as he approached freedom yet again. But he nearly slipped on something...

That something was blood. "What the hell?" he muttered before his eyes fell upon a large figure on the floor, blood pooling all around it. "...Er... Erwin?" Oh, god. _And I promised myself I wouldn't go soft..._

 _"_ Erwin! Can you hear me? Say something!" he screamed as he knelt beside the man. Erwin weakly stirred and cracked open an eye. He was bleeding from his side, and fast. Eren grabbed a blanket and shoved it into the wound, causing Erwin to groan in pain. Eren instinctually began searching for a phone to call an ambulance, and found one laying near Erwin's feet, grabbing it. He was about to press 'call' but then he realized... they would be arrested. They'd be caught. Two hot names on the 'most wanted list' would be delivered to the cops on a silver platter. Er, at least _one_ of them would. He paused. 

Isn't that what he wanted? For them to get caught? 

Having little time to think, he searched through Erwin's contacts and found the name he was looking for: 

Hange. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few days had passed since the whole debacle with his kidnappers and things were starting to go back to normal. Well. Relatively normal, anyway. Eren's dad hadn't said a word about his disappearance; he probably didn't even know he was ever gone. He'd told his friends and teachers he was sick; easy enough. And, he'd been given a few more cases to hash out with local detectives. Thankfully, none of them were too high risk this time. 

He couldn't help but wonder if Hange had been able to save Erwin. He'd love to ask her in class, but the two have a strict unspoken rule about never, ever bringing anything regarding those two up in public. He didn't dare try and approach her outside of school, either. But what he really wondered... what was really bothering him was _Levi_. Where was he? Eren had scanned the entire apartment that day, and he was nowhere to be found. He really didn't want to acknowledge the ache in his chest at the thought of him being dead. 

"Hey there, kiddo." Eren stopped in his tracks and whipped around. 

"Oh. Hey, dad." 

"You look tired, Eren. Have you been sleeping?" 

"Yeah."

"Taking your medicine like you're supposed to?"

"Why are you here, dad?"

"Don't you remember? You're being given an award for having the highest SAT score at your school today! I wouldn't miss it." Grisha pulled his son into a hug and Eren embraced how comforting it was to rest his head on his father's shoulder. A flash and a click caused him to squint, putting an end to the warm moment. 

"Oh, Grisha! You must be so proud to have a son as intelligent as Eren!" greeted his math teacher as a photographer took more pictures. 

"What's with the cameras?" asked Eren, his hand trying to block the bright lights flooding his vision. 

"We have to put our star pupil in the news paper, of course!" she responded, a big smile dictating her face. Eren looked up to his dad who had perked up and was making eye contact with the cameras, his arm pulling Eren in close again. His dad shot him a quick glance that said 'smile' and he did so. The excitement he felt just moments earlier was gone now and he gave a hollow performance for the cameras. 

After the ceremony, he looked around for his dad, wanting to plan a father-son dinner, or something. 

He couldn't find him. 

The trek home was a particularly depressing one that day. Eren regretted opting to walk to school that morning; walking home only emphasized how much he felt like the star of a sad lifetime movie montage. The leaves were all dead and falling and everything. At least he didn't have to pretend to be happy anymore. He flopped himself down on the curb and dropped his chin into his hands, elbows supporting them from his thighs. Tiny, wet drops started falling onto his body, but it wasn't enough to break his trance; he just continued staring out into space, thinking of nothing in particular, mind empty. After a while, a full on thunderstorm had formed, and he was drenched, but still unmotivated to walk home to the empty house. A car had pulled up beside him, but he hadn't noticed. 

"Are you braindead?" Eren snapped out of his daze and looked up at the man behind the car window. 

"Levi."

"Eren."

The two stared at each other for a few moments. "Get up." He didn't know why, but he listened. He slung his soaked bag over his shoulder and climbed into the car. 

"Nice to see you alive," he said as the car started moving, his glazed over eyes lazily looking out the passenger window. 

"Well, it's not nice seeing you. You smell like a wet dog." 

"What kind of idiot am I to get in this car with you?" 

"You _are_ pretty dumb." 

"I'm surprised you let me in the car. Aren't I messy?"

"In hindsight, I should have stowed you in the trunk." The two sat silently for a few minutes, the rain steadily hitting the car being the only thing heard. "Your dad's a real asshole," said Levi, breaking the silence. Eren looked to Levi with crinkled brows. 

"I... did you see what happened? But how..."

"We bugged your school, stupid." He glared at the older man and sighed. 

"How is Erwin?"

"Recovering. Thanks to you." Eren let out a breath of relief. So he had made it. 

"And ...you. How are you?"

"Miserable. You?"

"Me, too." Eren was surprised to see his house come into view. "You're letting me go?" 

"Yep."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Eren couldn't help but smile. He pulled his bag back over his shoulder and opened the door. 

"I'm getting out." The boy stopped and turned to face Levi. 

"What?"

"I'm getting out of the syndicate. I want nothing more to do with it." His hands were shaking as they gripped the stirring wheel. 

"Wow. That's really great." 

"Eren, get back in the car." 

"Huh?" 

"They know who you are now. I'm not comfortable with you being alone." Eren stared in confusion at this sudden order, unsure of what to do. 

"You sure _you_ aren't the one uncomfortable being alone?" 

"It's _both_ , goddamn it, now get in the car." Levi watched as Eren mulled things over, taking one more look at him before walking into the house.  The man took in a deep breath and exhaled, sitting there for a few minutes. He was about to drive off when he saw that same disgusting, wet kid jogging to the car, a bigger bag in tow now. Levi fought not to show how relieved he was to see him crawling back into the passenger seat. 

"Had to get a few things," he said, wearing a sharp grin as he continued to face the window. 

 _Stupid brat_. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: rape

Eren found himself chauffeured to yet another fancy apartment complex-- _just how many homes did these guys have?_ They exited the car and Eren found himself highly amused as Levi took his bag from him, slinging it over his own shoulder. "I really hope you aren't getting the wrong idea," he said with a laugh as they walked into the building made of white marbled walls and lofty ceilings with luxurious chandeliers luring him excitedly inside an elevator. Levi visibly cringed. 

"I know I made flirty comments before, but I was only fucking with you. I'm not actually interested in bratty little kids," he clarified as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. "I thought I'd be nice and keep your bag from getting as soaked as you." He hit a button in the elevator and checked his watch, huffing. 

"Right. Well, Erwin definitely is." Levi tilted his head, cold eyes boring into Eren's. 

"Oh, is he more your style?" 

"Calm down, sweetness. Neither of you are," he said with a pleased smile, the two now inside the beautiful apartment. 

"Didn't take you for the type of gay to claim heterosexuality," droned Levi as he gently sat the bag on a bar stool. 

"When did I claim that?" he asked, a playful glimmer in his eyes. Levi sighed and headed to the fridge, which was already fully stocked with a myriad of foods. He pulled some chicken breasts and various sauces out and placed them on the counter. 

"Go shower. You aren't getting wet dog smell in this house." 

"Fair enough," he said, happy to get out of his wet clothes. He started heading for one of the hallways before Levi stopped him.

"No. Take your clothes off and leave them on the tile floor." 

"Are you _serious_?" He looked to Levi in disbelief. The man grunted, annoyed. He glared at the boy with a knife in his hand, not realizing how terrifying he looked. Eren let out a light laugh. 

"I'll leave so you can do it comfortably, then."

"No. Stay," said Eren cooly, a coy smile on his face. He turned around and pulled his shirt off, then his pants and underwear. "Happy?" he asked before trekking to a bathroom. Levi watched as his naked form walked off, the boy's ass in full view. 

"Very," he quietly whispered so Eren couldn't hear. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, school?" Eren was at the door with his backpack. "You're up early."

"I get up at 5 am," said Levi, stirring his tea. "I thought you understood that you don't need to be out in public right now."

"I don't know if you've seen that billboard beside the mall, but that's my face. And it's for being a flawless student. I'm not about to ruin that now," he stated, twisting the door knob. Levi glared at him as he left the apartment. Once outside, Eren let out an evil laugh and pulled out the keys to Levi's black volvo. Fucking _yes_. He hopped in the car and dashed off to school. As he drove, he noticed a red Buick tailing him awfully close. Feeling uneasy, he took an odd turn down a street that hardly ever got any use, one hand on the wheel and the other clutching the gun under his shirt. Sure enough, the Buick turned down the same road, and Eren knew he'd royally fucked up in taking the car. Part of him didn't take Levi's warnings seriously and now he wished he had. To make matters worse, he drove into what turned into a dead end, the car now cornered by brick buildings, the surroundings dark and seedy. He eyed the approaching vehicle while trying to seem like he _wasn't_ eyeing the approaching vehicle, his head turned slightly downward. Two men got out, leaving one at the wheel; _goddamn, that's three against one_. He opted to release his grip on the gun and began preparing to bullshit like he'd never bullshat before. 

Eren gasped at the sudden impact the men knocking on the doors caused, one on either side, trapping him. He rolled down the window with a sheepish grin on his face. 

"And what can I do for you fine gentlemen?" he greeted cheerily, contrasting harshly with their angry expressions. Not interested in chatting, the one on the driver's side yanked open the door and pulled Eren out roughly by the arm, slinging him to the ground. 

"Where the fuck is Levi?"

"Who?" His reply earned him a kick to the gut. "I don't know a Levi," he said, voiceless and airy, his arms wrapped around his stomach. 

"Then why are you in his car, dumbass!?" shouted the man. He was about to kick him again, but the other man stopped him. 

"Don't hurt him, Bart, he's just a kid." He looked down to the boy. "How old are you, boy?"

"Fifteen," he lied, hoping lowering his age would make them more empathetic. 

"You aren't armed, are ya?" asked the same man, a kind smile on his face, eyes lit up.

"No," he lied again. The man looked over to Bart.

"It's not this boy's fault that Levi's fucked up enough to use little kids in his schemes now." The man licked his lips while looking up and down Eren's body. _Oh._   _I see._  

"Melvin, don't let your love for young boys cloud your judgement! This kid has gotta be dangerous if he's working for Levi." 

"I told you, I don't _know_ a Levi. I stole this car, okay?" Alright, well. That was actually true. The men looked at each other, Bart huffing irritably. Eren took the chance and slung the gun from his pants, quickly cocking it and aiming. The men jumped back and looked at him in shock.

"Don't fucking move. You move, you die. Got it?" They didn't answer. "I said, _got it_?" They reluctantly nodded. Eren stood to his feet, his eyes glued to the men like a hawk. He was pulling out his phone when he was suddenly slammed to the ground, the gun knocked from his hand. _Fuck. The third guy._  He struggled but quickly froze when a gun was pointed to his head. 

"Shitty kid," angrily muttered Bart. "Well, Melvin. Do what you want with him. As long as he's alive, I'm sure Kenny will still find him of use." 

"Just don't hurt that pretty little face of his, Alfred. You don't gotta hurt him," said an approaching Melvin, his mouth practically foaming as he took in the sight of his next meal. "Hold him down, this one's a little spunky." The man who tackled Eren shifted off of him and pinned his hands to the ground, appearing a little too into the scenario for a simple spectator. Melvin leaned down and slid a hand down his chest, stopping at his pelvis. "I'd love to test out that mouth of yours, but I have a feeling you're a biter," he remarked, smirking. 

"Fuck you," Eren spat, starting to struggle again now, realizing there was no way they'd take a gun to a hostage. Apparently they'd fuck one, though. He managed a rough kick to Melvin's face, causing the man to fall backwards, groaning in pain. He nearly shook the man holding his hands down off, even. Bart, who appeared to be repulsed by the whole affair, took note of the two struggling to have their way with the boy and sighed. He walked over to them and lended a hand in holding him down.

"We don't have time for this. Just fuck him already." Melvin got himself together, wiping blood from his split lip, a crazed look in his eyes. Eren felt like throwing up. Melvin crawled back to the boy who was now pinned by the legs and arms, helpless. 

"Please..." A tear pooled up in his eyes, sliding down his face into his hairline. Melvin slid Eren's pants down and palmed his completely flaccid member over his underwear. 

"Mmmm, I like it when you cry," he said, beginning to pant as he slid his underwear just below his ass. "But I'd like it more if you'd scream," he whispered into his ear, shoving a finger up Eren's dry ass, causing him to tense up and fight harder against the men trapping him to the ground. He didn't make a sound, though. He didn't want to give them the pleasure. "Come on, baby. Scream for me." He slipped two more fingers into him and pushed them in as far as the tightness would allow, relentlessly fingering up and down. Eren still refused to make a sound, but couldn't help the tears from flowing down his face. The man pulled out his own hard dick and started jerking off, moaning into his ear, his tongue sliding down his face until they found his lips. 

"Christ, Melvin. You're fucked up," said Bart, roughly averting his eyes from what was happening in front of him. "Hurry up for christ's sake." And that was the last thing he ever said. He fell to the ground, as did the other two as if in unison. Eren's mind was completely out of it now, he'd totally checked out, but he did feel a warm, thick liquid stream down his face; this liquid was separate from his tears. A line of it slipped into his mouth and tasted of iron. 

"Holy shit, Eren." The voice sounded terrified. The weight from the man on top of him disappeared and Levi's face brought him back from wherever his mind had gone. "They... they didn't shoot you, did they?" asked Levi, his eyes looking away from him.

"No." 

"Can you stand?"

"Yes."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, Hange. Come on in."

"Why wasn't Eren at school today, Erwin?" she asked, a suspicious look on her face. She pulled out a change of bandages for him and walked up to the couch he was reclining on. 

"Maybe he was sick. He's not here." Hange hummed and began changing him into a clean bandage. He jerked as she scraped a particularly tender area. 

"Oh, pipe down, ya big baby." The two faced the door as it creaked open, revealing Levi... and Eren. Levi was holding onto Eren's arm. "Eren! Why weren't you at school? I called your house and there was no answer." 

"Not now, Hange," said Levi. Hange and Erwin both sensed that something bad had gone on by the sound of Levi's tone. 

"I tried to go to school," said Eren, a forced smile on his face. He jerked his arm away from Levi and walked to his apparent bedroom, a light limp in his step. Once he was gone, Hange darted her eyes to Levi.

"Why is he limping?" 

"He was jumped," he matter of factedly stated, sitting on the couch next to Erwin. "He's alright, though. He's more mentally screwed up than anything." Erwin looked worried. 

"Oh, god," said the blond, a guilty look forming on his face.

"Yeah." He chose not to go into details. Eren was a prideful little shit. "So. I'm leaving the syndicate." 

"What?" questioned Erwin, shocked. 

"It's turned me into a monster. And this shit with the kid is the final straw for me. I'm done, Erwin."

"Then, I'm done, too."

"It's about fuckin' time," said Hange, relief thick in her voice. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So, what are we supposed to do about Eren? We know the police will do fuck all to protect him."

"He'll stay here until everything blows over. I already called his dad. His work will be online for the rest of the year." Erwin let out a laugh.

"You didn't waste any time."

"The bastard didn't even ask who I was. He just said to make sure his grades stay up. Tch." 

"Father of the year, huh?"

"Right." 

"You think Kenny will retaliate for the men you killed?" Levi hesitated. This was the question he didn't want to think about just yet. "Hey. Don't worry," he whispered, a hand gently massaging Levi's neck. 

"There's nobody protecting us anymore, Erwin. It's just us now." 

"I wont let anyone hurt you. Either of you." He leaned over and pressed kisses to his neck only to be pushed away. "I'm sorry. I need to go shower." 

"Of course. Will you at least sleep in bed with me tonight?" 

"Erwin..."

"Levi. I miss you. When will you come back to me...?" he asked quietly, a despondent expression worn on his face. Levi stood in place a beat before continuing his walk to the bathroom. Erwin rolled over on the couch and tried to ignore how lonely he felt. His eyes wandered towards Eren's room. After thinking it over a moment, he decided to check on him with a midnight snack in hand and maybe get a little company in return. He opened his door and his eyes bulged at the sight he took in. Eren was laying on the floor, spread out, his eyes dully staring at the ceiling. He turned his head to look at the intruder. 

"Oh. Hey, Erwin." He walked in and sat the cookies next to the boy on the floor and took a seat. 

"Is this what you do in your free time?" he teased, smiling at him. 

"Think about how much of a screw up I am? No, not really. Normally I'm pretty perfect," he answered, slowly exhaling and turning his eyes back to the ceiling. 

"Everybody gets bested sometimes, Eren. Don't take it to heart."

"No. I really fucked up. Bad." 

"I don't even see one scratch on you. Now, look at me," he said, pulling up his shirt to reveal his large, blood soaked bandage. "Now _this_ is a fuck up."

"I'd take that over getting raped." Erwin choked on his spit and felt a punch to the heart. 

"Eren, I..."

"It's okay. I deserved it. I can't believe I used to think I was this great, invincible detective...I was so foolish..." he said before zoning out again, his eyes colorless. 

"I'll kill whoever did it," he said, his voice shaking. Eren laughed.

"Too late. Levi already did. But I appreciate the sentiment."

"Well... good then. Eren, for the record, you did not deserve being sexually abused. Nobody does." Erwin laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. He noticed a tear run down the boy's face. "It's okay to cry, sweetheart." He ran his fingers through Eren's hair in comforting waves. 

"I'm so fucking humiliated," he said, his voice cracking. He rolled into a ball and more tears came. "If my dad knew, he'd never look at me again. I'm supposed to be perfect..." Erwin cradled his body around Eren's and wrapped his arms around his shaking body, laying his chin atop the soft hair covering the boy's head. 

"Shhhh, it's okay," he softly whispered, partly wanting to comfort, and partly, admittedly, enjoying the closeness of another person again. It'd been too long. Eren was so warm. It was nice to feel so... protective. He'd ached for that feeling for ages now. He wondered if Eren felt safe in his arms. He hoped he did. The two laid there for what must have been an hour. Eren had stopped crying and seemed to be asleep, exhausted from the horrible events the day had provided. 

"You're still as perfect as you ever were," whispered Erwin before he picked him up and laid him in the bed, carefully pulling the blanket over him. He took one more look at him, really taking in how small and delicate he actually was. Sure, he was a spitfire, but he was still just a kid. He walked as quietly as he could to the door, switching the light off on the way out. 

"Goodnight, Eren." 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren fucks up. Levi fucks up. But most of all, Erwin really, really fucks up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we all knew this was coming. 
> 
> ~TW for dubious consent~

"Well, you sure are dressed up," noted Eren, who was doing his homework on a laptop, curled up on the couch. Levi was wearing a perfectly fitted black suit.

"There's a party tonight. With the syndicate." Eren gawked at him.

"Didn't you leave the syndicate?"

"Yes, fuckhead, but I'm trying to remain on their good side. Erwin and I are going to smooth things over," he said, straightening his tie using a big, elegant wall mirror. Eren scoffed and turned back to the computer screen.

"Guess I'm not invited."

"You guessed right." 

"Just gonna leave me alone, huh?" asked Eren, smiling as he typed away on a paper. Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Don't even think about pulling any sort of stunt like you did a few weeks ago. Touch my car and I'll kill you. Also, stay inside. Don't open the door for anyone-"

"Oh, jesus. See, I knew this was coming. Please remember that you're not my parent, okay?" 

" _Somebody_ needs to be," he instantly retorted, regretting it immediately. Eren didn't say anything and just headed to his room with the computer. _Nice going, idiot._  Levi shook is head and took one more look in the mirror before feeling satisfied with his appearance. 

"You about ready to go?" asked Erwin, walking down the opposite hallway into the foyer. He, too, was decked out in a snazzy, overpriced suit. Levi nodded and eyed Erwin up and down, causing him to smile. "You like?"

"I do," he answered, putting a hand on Erwin's chest. The large man wanted desperately to lean in for a kiss, but he didn't want to push his luck. Anything that happened was going to have to be initiated by Levi. He knew that. But damn was it hard. He smiled at the small man, his eyes hiding a hint of sadness. Levi grabbed his arm, pulling him out the door, and the two left. 

They returned two hours later, Levi having took all he could for one night. "God, can you believe Nile?" he vented, tossing his shoes off angrily before staring at them and ultimately picking them up so he could neatly place them in the closet. Tch. "That moron has some nerve, telling us we're huge disappointments. I think the real disappointment is his fucking hair style." Erwin chuckled and went to the kitchen for some water. He saw something sitting on the counter that made him groan, a hand massaging his temple. It took Levi five seconds to see the same thing. He huffed, his eyes reading murder. 

"He fucking didn't," he hissed, immediately storming to Eren's room. Erwin chased after him.

"Baby, go easy on him. This kind of thing is normal for kids his age."

"Don't you dare defend him," he barked before opening Eren's bedroom door. He furiously looked around, finding only three empty bottles of wine on the floor beside his bed, but no 17 year old boy in sight. He growled and pushed past a confused Erwin to search the rest of the house. He walked by his own bedroom and hesitated-- _he wouldn't._   He swallowed back the thought and continued down the hall before ultimately returning and slamming his bedroom door open. Nothing. He turned to leave but heard the lightest... moan. From the closet. He darted over and opened the huge walk-in closet to find Eren on top of a little blonde girl. Her skirt was pulled down to her knees and Eren's face was licking down the V of her crotch right before an intense pain to the head had him thrown out of the closet. 

"Get out, girl," Levi coldly demanded. The girl hopped up and stumbled out of the closet, clearly intoxicated. Erwin popped in to take in the scene and his jaw hit the floor. "Call her a cab, Erwin." 

"Yeah... come with me, sweetheart," he said as he walked her out of the room. Eren was rubbing his tender head, his eyes watering from the sudden sting of pain. Soon, a yank to the hair wasn't the only source of pain as he felt a sharp slap to the face, knocking him on his back. Levi pulled him up by his shirt, clearly livid beyond reason. Eren's face was red and his eyes sunken in. 

"You're fucking wasted as shit, you dumbass," he said in a low, menacing tone, the grip on the boy's shirt tightening. Erwin ran back into the room and pulled Levi off of him.

"Come on, Levi. Calm down." He was holding him back by the arm which pissed Levi off even more. 

"Really?" was the first thing Eren said. _The fucker was actually smiling._  "You've got some fucked up moral compass. Killing people's okay, but underaged drinking is the line, huh?" he taunted, his words slurred and speech slow. He laughed and pulled himself to his feet, leaning on a wall to help steady him. Levi took in a deep breath and tried to refrain from beating this kid to a pulp. 

"Thought you'd fuck a girl in _my_ closet, did you?" Suddenly, it hit Eren that maybe he wasn't angry over the drinking. 

"What? _Jealous_?" he asked with a smile. 

"Eren, stop..." The boy waved him off. 

"Don't take the fact that you can't even touch your boyfriend out on me," he almost yelled, pushing past the two men to get out of the room. Levi was shaking in Erwin's grasp, the bigger man rocking him lightly in attempt to calm him. 

"We'll call someone to deep clean it tomorrow, okay? He's drunk, Levi. Try to understand. He didn't know." A small whimper escaped Levi and he pushed away from him. 

"I want to be better so badly," he said, taking in deep breaths. 

"I know, baby."

"I can't even let you comfort me, for fuck's sake. And I was ready to kill a child for the second time," he said, a light laugh following. He looked to a smiling Erwin and sighed. "I'm going to bed. Before I _do_ end up killing that kid. Obviously it's you who should deal with him tonight." 

Erwin entered Eren's room and again, he was nowhere to be seen. Concerned, he walked to his bathroom and heard a light gagging sound. _Ah_. He opened the door and found Eren's head hanging over the toilet. Erwin sat down beside him and patted his back. "Let it out, baby. Just let it out," he soothed as Eren started dry heaving, nothing but a small line of bile to show for it. He propped the kid's head up with his hand, looking him over. He noticed a bright red mark covering his left cheek, knowing exactly where it came from. He let out a pained sigh. 

"There's vomit down my shirt," said Eren, his head hanging back in the toilet. "I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." Erwin nodded and eyed the tub-- jacuzzi was more accurate. It was huge and beautiful. He looked to Eren and wanted to speak, but hesitated a moment before doing so. 

"Eren, do you want me to help you?" 

"Take a bath? I think I can handle it," he muttered, wiping the mess from his mouth. 

"It's just... I've seen all these stories. You know, about drunk or high people in tubs drowning. I'd hate--"

"Erwin..."

"Please. Let me help." Eren looked to Erwin, his eyes encasing an almost desperation in them. 

"Alright." The man's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Erwin happily got up to start the water, making sure it wasn't too hot. He added his favorite lavender scented bubble bath, admiring the immediate, glossy bubbles forming. While the water was running, he walked over to Eren who was holding his head up with an elbow to the toilet seat, looking up at Erwin. The older man looked into his eyes, the two caught in a gaze. They kept the gaze as Erwin bent back down to the boy and started unbuttoning his jeans, slowly pulling down the zipper. 

"Your eyes are quite something," he quietly said, pulling the pants from his legs. 

"Yeah, I've heard that before," he said, his voice muffled by the shirt Erwin was pulling over his head. 

"I'm not surprised." Erwin pulled his underwear down to Eren's hips and hesitated, his breathing deepening. 

"Go ahead," he reassured, and Erwin did, revealing a half-hardened cock. The older man lost himself in the sight for a moment before picking him up and sitting him in the water. Eren rested his head on the back of the tub and closed his eyes, enjoying the numbness of his tongue and the burn of his lips. After about a minute, he opened his eyes to sudden ripples in the water, Erwin now sitting in the tub across from him. Eren smiled at him, a genuine look of affection in his eyes. 

"You just want to take care of someone, don't you?" he asked, his words still slurring as much as earlier, his eyes fiery. Erwin realized he was taking advantage, but he craved this intimacy so much. He needed it.

"Yeah..."

"Then take care of me." That was all he needed. Erwin leaned forward and placed his hands on Eren's shoulders before leaning in for a kiss, shoving the boy's head flat against the tiled wall. The kiss was a deep and passionate one, Erwin sucking and massaging the kid's lips and tongue slowly, tenderly. Eren allowed him to to dominate, following the lead his mouth commanded. The two separated for breath, a thin line of saliva still connecting them. Erwin's cock twitched at the lustful look in the boy's eyes. He wanted so badly to make love to him. But he knew he couldn't. What'd he'd done so far was already way past the line. He ran his hands down Eren's chest, enjoying the content humming sounds the boy made as the man's fingers traced every line of his torso, a finger eventually encircling a nipple, eliciting a subdued moan. Erwin looked at Eren's face-- his eyes were more hooded than before, and he could barely hold his head up. 

"Ready for bed, Eren?" Eren nodded, closing his eyes. 

"Thank you for letting me take care of you," he whispered, pressing a final kiss to Eren's warm, wet lips. God, how he missed lips. And touching. And skin. And... He pulled him out of the bath, one of his arms over Erwin's shoulder. He carried Eren into his bed, not bothering to dress him, laying him on the soft, comfy mattress. The boy was now passed out and Erwin got a kick out of watching him sleep, content worn on his angelic little face. He rolled him onto his stomach for a better look of something he was entirely too curious about. Erwin's erection throbbed at the site of such a round, perky ass. He let out a groan as he touched the soft, smooth skin, letting a finger nudge it's way to the damp, circular opening. He wanted to push it in, but he controlled himself and pulled both hands away. Erwin sighed, feeling painfully sexually frustrated in that moment, but he wouldn't do anything to his precious Eren while he was asleep. 

While carefully closing the bedroom door, he turned his head to see Levi leaning on the wall further down the hallway, causing Erwin to jump. 

"So. Is he okay?" asked Levi, crossing his arms. 

"Yes. He's fine. He'll probably have a raging headache tomorrow, but that's the extent of it." A twinge of guilt prodded Erwin's gut. 

"Good."

"Yeah."

"I was thinking the kid was gay based on something he said to me, but after tonight's little venture, I guess not," he commented, uncrossing his arms and turning to walk to his bedroom.

"Hah, right," nervously agreed Erwin, turning to go to his own bedroom. He walked past Eren's room and stopped. He reached a hand out and touched the door flatly with his palm. Smiling, he headed further down the hall and went to bed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alcohol and type 1 diabetes do not mix :///


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren really starts to understand just how much his guardians want to bone him. What's a boy to do?
> 
> Oh, and imminent danger and shit.

"Wakey wakey, brat. It's 8 am. I'm going to teach you a lesson that'll make you never wanna drink ag--" Levi barged in to find that Eren was already awake, leaning on the headboard and cradling the small bathroom trashcan in his lap. With a laugh, Levi walked closer to him, clicking his tongue. "Looks like you're already learning. Throwing up already at 8, huh?" 

"I have to eat something right now," he said with a shakey voice. Levi shot him a look and realized he was shivering. He placed a hand to his clammy head, quickly jerking it back at how damp he was. His eyes widened in realization. 

"Fuck. Your blood sugar..."

"Punish me after I'm not in diabetic shock, okay?" he said through clenched teeth. 

"Shit. I'll be right back." He quickly returned with the sweetest thing he could find, a popsicle, and some leftover chicken from the fridge. He unwrapped the popsicle and handed it to Eren, who met him with shaking hand. He bit into it and swallowed without chewing. 

"Ugh. Brain-freeze." He ate the rest as fast as he could before clunking his head back against the headboard, closing his eyes. 

"Does this happen a lot, Eren?" asked Levi, partly just wanting to keep him talking until he was stable. 

"No, but now I know it will if I drink," he answered, his face starting to look paler than before. He leaned forward and vomited into the trashcan, losing the entirety of the popsicle. "Fuck, I can't hold it down." Levi started feeling a mild panic. Everyone had been in the situation of throwing up with a stomach bug or a hangover, but could diabetics do the same without threatening their lives? "Stop looking like that. I'm going to lay down for a bit and try again. My stomach will settle eventually."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It always does. You can go about your daily business. I've got this." Levi sat on the bed, staring at the boy with unamused eyes. 

"No, I'm fine right here. You have twenty minutes to hold something down until I'm calling Hange." Eren rolled his eyes but nodded before laying down on his side. Eventually, the boy proved correct in finally being able to hold the food down and was allowed to go back to sleep afterall, but not before injecting his morning insulin. Levi stayed with him; despite Eren's insistence on being fine, he watched him for a while, reaching down to check his pulse every five minutes. He never would have guessed the boy's life was as fragile as it was the first time he met him. Of course, they wouldn't have had an issue if he'd just stayed out of the liquor cabinet. Levi sharply exhaled and left the room once feeling confident in Eren's health. 

A few hours later, Eren woke up and walked into the living room to find Erwin reading a book. Erwin looked startled. 

"Hey, Eren. Are you feeling better?" He nodded, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. 

"Yeah. Thanks for helping me last night." Erwin smiled, trying to hide his nerves. 

"Hah, sure. So... do you remember much?"

"You helped me get a bath..." 

"Yes. That's right."

"Yeah." Eren walked into the kitchen and grabbed some food Levi had left in the microwave for him, returning to the living room and jumping on the couch, right next to Erwin. "You also kissed me," he said nonchalantly in between bites. Erwin nearly choked on his coffee. Eren laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not bothered."

"You... you aren't?"

"No. Actually, I'm pretty sure I've fantasized about something like that before," he said, amused. "A tall, ripped older man waiting on you hand in foot? While naked? Yeah, I'd say I'm alright with what happened." Erwin took a breath of relief, thankful that the boy didn't feel betrayed. And he couldn't help but feel aroused at Eren's admission... it wasn't often he was referred to as a sexual fantasy by a beautiful young man. _Man_. That's the first time Erwin thought of him as such. But he was 17. Practically an adult. Right? Erwin scooted closer to Eren, wrapping an arm around him. 

"I'm glad you aren't upset."

"I'm not. But will Levi be?" Erwin looked to the boy, caught off guard by the question. Suddenly, this didn't feel so okay anymore. He loved Levi dearly. More than life. But... he hadn't been able to give him what he needed in a long, long time. "Hey, Erwin?" asked Eren, snapping him out of the fog that had formed in his head. 

"Yeah?"

"Why is Levi so messed up about touching? And messes." 

"Oh, it's a really long story. Basically, he just grew up in a really messy place, Eren. Sometimes he's okay, and sometimes he's not. He's been going down hill for a few years, now," he answered, unmistakable sadness in his voice. 

"OCD, huh?"

"Yes. Very bad OCD." Eren leaned forward, pulling away from Erwin's cozy warmth. 

"I don't want to be why he has even more problems," said Eren, making direct eye contact with the other man. Erwin stifled the desperate urge to yank the boy back, his body heat addictive. Too addictive. What he wouldn't give to mold that boy like clay. Squeeze where he wanted, lay him where he wanted, position him however he wanted, push him into the bed as hard as he wanted... knead him into the man he wanted. 

"You're much wiser than me, Eren."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Ugh. I look stupid in this."

"No, you look like an actual almost 18 year old in this," said Levi, buttoning the suit up. A woman was in the dressing room holding a measuring tape. Levi left the top buttons undone and straightened the white undershirt's collar before stepping back and taking Eren into full view. He sighed. "Your hair needs help."

"I let you talk me into wearing a suit even though _nobody_ does that for senior pictures, and now you want to bitch about my hair?" asked Eren as he tried moving around in the stiff suit jacket, giving it a stretch so it was more comfortable. 

"We have a hair stylist, Mr. Ackerman. Should I bring him?" asked the woman with a knowing smile aimed towards Eren. He glared at her. 

"That would be great, Anita. Thank you." The stylist ushered Eren away to work on his hair while Levi checked his phone, taking a break from babysitting. He had a text from Erwin:

 

> _I don't want to ruin your shopping trip, but I just got some intel from Nile. Be on your toes, Levi. They're looking for us again._

Levi tried to swallow back his worries but couldn't help the foreboding lump forming in his throat. He spent the next fifteen minutes on watch, his eyes darting to every single juncture in the store. Nothing caught his eye so he tried to relax. He turned his head to see the hair stylist dragging the kid along behind him and he walked closer to the mirrors where he was being taken. What he saw nearly took his breath away-- Eren was still in the suit and his bangs had been styled out of his face, his blue... no, green eyes catching the light from the chandeliers. Levi had never seen his face so naked before. He looked absolutely gorgeous. And grown up. 

"Well? Are you satisfied?" whined Eren, completely unaware of how stunning he was. 

"I was but then you had to open your mouth," said Levi, his eyes looking deceptively uninterested. Eren groaned and hopped off the pedestal to go change, clearly beyond ready to leave. Levi cracked a smile as he walked off to the stall holding his clothes. The sound of a gun firing quickly wiped the smile off his face. A bullet had narrowly missed his head as evidenced by the cracked mirror right beside him. He pulled out his gun and ran behind a rack of dresses, searching for the attacker. 

"Hey there, Levi," said a nauseatingly familiar voice as he was grabbed from behind, both arms held behind his back, his gun falling to the ground. 

"What do you want, Kenny?" he asked, knowing better than to struggle. 

"Left the syndicate with your tail between your legs, yeah, Levi? Did you really think quitting would save your life?" he taunted, holding a gun to the back of his skull. Levi jerked at the sound of another gun shot; he waited for the darkness to take him, for his blood to spill to the floor. For death. But it never happened. 

"You little bastard!" yelled Kenny as he fell backwards and held his bleeding leg. _What?_ Levi looked around in confusion, assuming Erwin had found them in time. But the only person he saw was Eren. He was holding a gun. Another shot sounded and Kenny screamed, the second bullet hitting the same leg. Eren wasn't shooting to kill, but to maim. Levi watched as he began pulling his cell from his bag.

"Eren, no! Don't call the cops!" he demanded, his eyes narrowed. "Let's just go." Eren ran over to him and Levi grabbed his arm, running out of that shop so fast that the boy behind him kept tripping over his own feet. 

"I'll kill that kid, Levi! You know I fucking will!" They heard Kenny wail from behind, his voice getting quieter and quieter as the space between them grew. They jumped into the car and began speeding off. Eren's face scrunched in confusion when he realized where they arrived was not their apartment, but a hotel. He soon understood that they'd be moving again soon. He wondered how long he'd be caught up in this mess. Levi silently exited the car and Eren followed, the two getting a master suite where he assumed Erwin would join soon after. Eren headed to one of the chairs by a big window but Levi stopped him, his hand clutching the kid's arm. When he turned around he was immediately pulled into a kiss, his neck bent downwards, held in place by Levi's other hand. Levi fell to his knees and hungrily unzipped Eren's jeans. 

"Levi... what are you--"

"Shut the fuck up," he flatly stated before pulling down the boy's underwear. He pulled the hardening dick into his mouth and sucked the head until light juices were coming out, Eren's length taking on its full form right before his eyes. It was maddening to watch. He quickly pulled his now fully hardened cock all the way into his mouth, his throat feeling the delicious treat jab into it. Levi grasped Eren's ass and squeezed, his nails nearly drawing blood. The boy's ankles were shaking so he knew he was close; _damn, what a virgin_. His tongue motioned in tight little circles as his head fell and rose, over, and over, and over again, a finger now slipping into Eren's ass. He was really tight and his muscles were tensing at the pressure, a pained whine escaping the boy's clenched teeth, and Levi knew right then that he would thoroughly enjoy breaking him. Thick, warm liquid filled his mouth and he was shocked when he actually swallowed it. He hadn't done that in years. Levi gave Eren a few more thrusts of his finger before pulling it out, allowing the boy to crumble to the floor and roll onto his back. Levi admired how lovely he looked with his eyes in the back of his head, his breath hitching unevenly, and for once, he adored how messily his bangs fell just above his eyes. 

"I should call Erwin," calmly stated Levi as if nothing had just happened, and he got up. 

"So... I guess we aren't taking pictures anymore?" 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has a birthday! And he really wants to have his cake and eat it. 
> 
> Angst ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eren: oops i did it again

It was a rainy day, the sky overcast and gloomy. Not the best scenario for a birthday celebration, but it would have to do. Today, Eren was eighteen; he had only a few more months left of high school, and he'd never been more confused. At the beginning of the year, he believed he had his entire future figured out-- becoming a special agent would be a cake walk with his credentials, and his grades were straight As, all honors classes. But now, he wasn't so sure about his choice of career. He was still tied up in the affairs of the two men who had, for all intents and purposes, been his guardians the majority of the school year. All because of his interests in detective work. To say his experiences had soured his likeness for the field would be putting it lightly. 

Besides all that, things were growing increasingly awkward and... confusing with the two men. Ever since Levi forced himself on Eren (okay, so maybe he was _really_ receptive), the man had hardly spoken more than two words to him. Levi would walk by him in the kitchen while he poured some cereal, and the man wouldn't even look him in the eye. It was pretty uncomfortable. And Erwin? Don't get him started on that love struck gorilla. The guy did all he could to appear fatherly and protective over Eren in a platonic way, what with making his lunches from scratch, doing his laundry, asking him how his day was... but he wasn't blind. He saw the way Erwin looked at him. He was starving for his touch. He almost wanted to give in, almost out of pity (and maybe lust). But he couldn't do that. This wasn't a game. He couldn't play with their lives like that. Or... was it his life that was the game? 

"This is a really nice restaurant. Did your dad pay?" asked Jean, taking a bite of his steak. "Or was it those two weird guys you've been living with? Didn't you say one of them was your uncle?"

"Uh... yeah. Good ole uncle Erwin." Eren pushed some mashed potatoes around his plate, not feeling particularly hungry. He wondered what his _guardians_ were up to. 

"So, what are you going to do after this?" asked Mikasa, playfully nudging him on the shoulder. "I know of a place that serves alcohol to underaged minors. As long as they're attractive enough." She winked and Jean groaned. 

"Oh! Please, let's do it! I'm hot enough, right?" asked Sasha, eyes directed towards Connie. 

"Of course you are. I mean, I'll probably get offered more liquor than you, but you'll do just fine!" he replied before getting a playful jab to the face. 

"Guys, it's Eren's birthday. He should decide. And remember, he's diabetic," said Jean with tensed brows. Eren clicked his tongue and finished his sprite. 

"I can drink some. I'm not made of glass, you know. Besides, I've already shot up and eaten. I'd be fine." He smiled at Jean, a pleased smile on his face. He was about to ask for the check when his pocket buzzed. 

> **Erwin: How's the party? :)**

"What's with the starry eyes, Eren?" asked Jean, teasing. "Who's the message from?" 

"Pfft, wouldn't you like to know."

> **Eren: It's okay. I wish you guys would have come.**

He hit send and sat his phone down, thinking. It buzzed before Erwin would have had time to even read the message. 

> **Levi: Be careful. Don't do anything stupid tonight.**

"Okay," he said, "let's do it. Let's get _weird_." A sinister gleam caught his eye. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You're so sexy," said a man, panting as he held Eren against the wall of a run-down bathroom. What was his name? Dave? ... Mark... _Eh, it doesn't matter_. Eren's hands traveled down his sides, one making its way to the bulge in his pants. He squeezed it, the man jerking in response, his teeth latching onto Eren's neck with a punishing bite, the boy instinctively pushing him back.  

"Shit, that hurt just a little," he whined, wincing. The man flashed a devious smile before running his tongue on the bite mark, lapping at it until it was to his ear. 

"I know how to make you feel better..." His wet breath condensed onto Eren's hot skin. 

"Oh, yeah?" The man pulled the boy's jeans and underwear down his crotch, a hard cock bouncing out. The man salivated at the sight and slipped his own cock from his pants. 

"Yeah." Without any warning, he shoved him harder into the wall and slid him off his feet until his legs were crossed behind the man's back. A hard, wet cock was lined up with his ass. 

"So, I guess you prefer topping?" he teased as he grinded his hips into the man's crotch, the head of his dick just barely sliding into the hole. It drove the man wild and he nearly began thrusting but a finger to his forehead stopped him. "There's lube in my back pocket," he said, his lips laced with a seductive smile. The man licked his lips and nodded and somehow managed to get it out without dropping Eren. 

"Happy birthday, beautiful." 

About twenty minutes passed before the two exited the bathroom, a quick thanks and a messy hug setting them free from each other. Eren doubted he'd ever see that guy again. Whatever the hell his name was. It was about 2 am now and his friends had gone home about an hour ago, which of course, left him to entertain himself using his own devices. He had a few minutes until he'd be picked up by Levi of all people. He figured Erwin would want to do that, but he'd savor the time with the jerk of a man regardless. The news that he'd gone and drank at a club was already broken to them, so he hoped he'd be spared any lectures. It was his _birthday_ , you know? 

He headed out the door and sure enough, Levi was there waiting in his black sport's car. Eren casually began walking over but stopped when he noticed him getting out of the car. Levi marched right over to him and eyed him up and down, propping his chin up to get a good look at his bruised up neck and red, hazy eyes. 

"You aren't going out anymore. Get in the car," he coldy demanded as he promptly walked back to the driver's seat, eyes looking straight ahead out the windshield. Eren gaped in confusion as he pulled himself into the passenger's seat. 

"What the fuck's your problem?" 

"Put your seatbelt on," he replied, tone flat. 

"I'm eighteen. You can't tell me what to do!" 

"Put your seatbelt on. _Now_." 

"Ugh!" He slapped on the seatbelt and looked out the window as the car propelled forward, feeling really stupid at the fact that tears were welling up in his eyes. Levi took note of the tears and sighed, a minute passing before speaking again. 

"Eren, you have to be more careful. You drank illegally. And had sex in a _bar,"_ he said through gritted teeth. "Did you even know the person? What the hell were you _thinking_?" Eren remained silent, a constant flow of tears streaming down his cheeks. They were halfway home before Eren broke his silence, his voice uneven and cracked. 

"I'm leaving." Levi's brows furrowed and the car seemed to jolt a little faster than before.

"No. You aren't." 

"You can't keep me here anymore. You can't control me anymore!"

"It isn't about control. It's about safety." Eren laughed at that.

"Oh, bullshit. You and Erwin are both in love with me and you want to keep me hostage forever! Well, fuck that! And fuck _you_!"

"Eren, you're drunk. We'll discuss this tomorrow." 

"Yeah, right. You don't even talk to me anymore," scoffed the boy, tears welling again. Levi felt a twinge of pain surge up his chest. The car pulled into the driveway of the apartment complex, the air still damp from the rain earlier. The two silently exited the car and walked feet away from each other until they reached the door. Eren ran straight for Erwin, shoving his face into his chest, the man embracing him with those big, warm arms. He chuckled. 

"Good to see you, too!" he greeted, squeezing him. Levi walked in behind him, his arms crossed at the sight. 

"Take a look at him, Erwin." 

"What?" he asked as Eren slowly backed away, his swollen, dead eyes on Erwin's. He gasped. "What did you _do_!?" Erwin grabbed him by the shoulders and assessed his appearance, his stomach swirling at the disgusting purple and red bruises forming around his neck. "You... _Eren_. I'm so... disappointed in you." The grip on his shoulders grew stronger, almost painful. Erwin looked _mad_. 

"He already had an earful from me. Let him go to bed," said Levi, actually feeling bad for the way Erwin looked at the boy. He rarely had a mean bone in his body, so he knew it must sting. 

"No," he replied, shaking the boy,"This is serious. You could have been hurt. _Killed!_ " Erwin was shaking in anger as Eren stood limp in his clutch, the boy's hands slowly forming fists. "You're getting tested first thing tomorrow. Do you hear me, Eren!?" He jerked away from the man, expression dark and angry. 

"Why? So you can finally _fuck_ me?" blurted Eren, his eyes daggers. "The makeout session wasn't enough, was it?" Levi turned from Eren to Erwin, slack-jawed. "And how about you, Levi? Bet you want to make sure I'm clean before you can suck me off _again_."  Eren's words slurred and his body was becoming more and more fatigued. He'd regret this later, but for now, it felt _good_. He was tired of these men doing whatever they wanted with him, and each other. Tired of them pretending to be his parents when they were anything but. He wouldn't let them have control over his life anymore. The boy darted to his room, the door slamming shut. The men looked away from each other, both tense with a myriad of conflicting emotions. Anger, guilt, betrayal. The whole nine yards. But it was Erwin... the pain on his face. The hurt. It was him who looked utterly destroyed from the inside out. 

"You can't even touch me. But you can do _that_ to him?" he stated more than questioned. Levi didn't respond. He was too full of shame to even look at him. 

"You kissed him?" 

"I needed it from _someone_." The words felt like a puncture to the soul for Levi; he knew Erwin deserved everything and more from a partner. And he had sorely failed. Erwin didn't say another word as he slowly walked off to his room, alone. Again. 

 _I'm sorry._  

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a teacher and school's back tomorrow ;____; we'll see how much i get to update but in the meantime, have this!

"He's gone." 

"I figured he would be."

"Yeah."

"Will he be okay?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe... he... he said something last night. Said I was less interested in keeping him safe, and more interested in keeping him. With us. I was convinced that wasn't true. But. Is it?"

"I don't know, Levi." 

The men sat in silence, pensively huddled around the coffee table. There was a lot of distance between them; Levi was on the recliner while Erwin sat on the sectional, legs crossed, a newspaper in hand. It was 10 am. Sunny. The birds could be heard chirping from outside the window. It was a lovely day.

But it wasn't. 

"I want to know." Erwin spoke while still facing the newspaper, a steaming cup of coffee in the other hand. Levi's tea was getting cold; he couldn't enjoy it like he usually did. He sat the cup down and looked to Erwin. He returned the glance. "Why can't you touch me? Why _can_ you touch him?" Levi looked to his hands, fully aware that this question was going to come back up. Deservedly so. "I know I made a mistake with Eren. I know I shouldn't have given in to temptation. But you... I thought you couldn't _do_ those things. Thought it wasn't possible."

"I didn't think it was possible, either." 

"Why don't you love me anymore? What did I do wrong?" 

"I do love you. So much." 

"You haven't explained how you're able to touch him." Erwin sipped his coffee, turning his vision back to the newspaper. He desperately needed an answer, but he was also terrified. The answer might not be what he wanted to hear. It might hurt more than anything had ever hurt before. 

But he needed to know. 

"I don't know why I can touch him. Something... weird came over me. I felt better almost. Like there wasn't even anything wrong with me." Erwin looked to Levi, his expression falsely stoic. He cleared his throat, a light cough following. 

"You want him. Instead of me. Is that right?" 

"That doesn't even make sense. He's a child."

"That didn't stop you from jumping all over him," snapped Erwin, bitter. 

"It didn't stop you, either," said Levi, no malice to be found in his being. As if he was merely stating a fact. 

"No. It didn't."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A week had passed since Eren hightailed it out of his fake parents' apartment. He needed to clear his head, and the time away seemed to be working. He started feeling independent again. Well, his dad constantly being MIA sort of helped in that regard; he _was_ independent. But at this point, why shouldn't he be? He was now an adult, close to graduating. Close to being off to college. He'd decided to major in medicine and become a doctor, completely ditching any prospects with the FBI. That job was just too dirty. Or maybe it was just _him_ who was dirty. He really wasn't sure anymore. But for what it was worth, his tests did come back negative; he bitterly laughed to himself at how he actually took Erwin's advice. Thanks, father!

"Eren!" 

"Hey, Jean! You walkin'?" He jogged over to his friend at the end of the curb, his heavy backpack shuffling with every step. "Gah, Ms. Zoe has really been hitting us hard with the homework lately. I was up all night finishing her stupid project." 

"You're preaching to the choir, my friend," said Jean, patting him on the back in understanding. "I had her last year and she's damn hard." Eren laughed, shaking his head as they continued the 10 minute walk to campus. "So, uh... Mikasa and I... are sort of... _talking_." A blush shaded Jean's cheeks and it was hilarious. And adorable. 

"What an attractive couple!"

"We aren't a couple, okay! Don't go yapping that mouth of yours." 

"I wouldn't screw you over like that, Jean," said Eren with a smile followed by a reassuring pat to the back. 

"So, what about you? Any girls... er, boys? In your prospects?" Eren let out a knowing chuckle. 

"Oh, Jean. If only you knew how relationship challenged I am." Seriously. If only he knew. 

The two continued their friendly chat as they trekked along when Eren suddenly felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. He looked behind him to see a car trailing them. He wasn't sure, but the man driving looked sort of like the guy who had tried to kill Levi at that mall. He ignored the sick feeling twisting in his gut and grabbed Jean's arm, leading them into a quicker pace as they approached the school. 

"Uh, hey man, we still have plenty of time. No need to rush. I spent a lot of time on my hair this morning!" Eren only pulled him along faster, the doors to the building so close, right within their grasp. They could make it. "Eren! What's going on?"

"Just _go,"_ he ordered, not offering any room for debate. Jean was confused, but he knew that when Eren was serious, the situation _was_ serious, so he kept up with his quick stride. They were practically running by the time they reached the doors, swinging them frantically before jumping inside the confines of their glorious safety zone. Eren looked out the door window; the car was nowhere to be seen. He let out a shakey breath of relief, and began panting, not realizing how little air he was taking in as they evaded the possible danger. Was he just paranoid? 

"Eren... what was that?" asked Jean, looking to the wheezing mess in front of him. 

"I'm sorry, I thought... I thought I saw an ex trailing behind us," he lied, wiping the sweat from his hairline. Jean eyed him suspiciously before heading to his class, waving as he disappeared into the crowded hallway. 

After pulling himself together in the bathroom, he went to his first class of the day, English. He overheard some students happily declaring that their teacher had called in sick and that they had a sub. He couldn't help but feel a little miffed at that; he'd actually done the homework. Christ, I'm such a nerdy piece of shit, he thought. A tired breath escaped him as he laid his head on the desk, mindlessly tapping his pencil as he waited for class to begin. 

"Alright, class! I'm your sub today! Get out your novels and put phones away." The class groaned at the realization that this wasn't going to be one of the fun subs that could be taken advantage of. "Aw, come on, now. Reading's fun! Hey, Eren... ya know, fidgeting is a bad habit." Eren scrunched his face in annoyance and sat up, preparing a fake smile for the sub... 

Oh, _god_. 

"You can call me Mr. Ackerman." Eren couldn't breathe. His breath literally ran from his lungs and his palms were covered in moisture out of fucking nowhere. What the _fuck_ was this guy doing here? How the hell did he get in as a sub? This made no sense and it only made his head spin even more. He felt like he was going to throw up at any second and he ran from his chair without a word, leaving his belongings and not planning on returning for them. Kenny chucked. 

"Uh, oh. Looks like someone's got the stomach bug!" A bright smile flooded his face as he enthusiastically began lecturing on the semester's book. 

Eren broke free from the building, not even wasting time to puke. That would have to wait for a more convenient time, he thought. He ran for his house as if he was wearing blinders-- there was nothing to look at except _straight ahead_.  Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. Erwin. Levi. He yanked his phone out in a frenzy and dialed Erwin's number as he continued the mad dash home. The line rang and he could faintly see a woman ahead. The closer he got, he realized... it was Ms. Zoe. Oh, thank god. 

"Ms. Zoe!" he croaked, his breathing erratic, "Kenny! He's at my school. I think he's after me. What should I do?" She smiled at him, a strange, haunting sadness in her eyes. 

"Come quietly," was her only response. Eren's body tensed. 

"Wh... _what_?" 

"Don't struggle," she urged as she draped an arm around his shoulders and pushed him forward, their appearance probably one of a casual walk amongst friends. "Your life depends on your compliance." He looked around and could see various cars on different parts of the street they were walking on, all of them locked in on his location. He didn't even have to wonder if they were armed. 

"What's happening..." He knew now that he had definitely been caught. It was over. Escape wasn't an option. They had been right, all along. He was never safe. He was _never_ independent. Still a worthless little _kid_. "I thought you were on their side. I... I don't understand." She didn't respond. They continued their stroll until they reached a red SUV. He was escorted into the back seat and quickly took note that he was caged in away from the front seats. Hange locked him inside and took her place in front. Eren didn't recognize the driver. He felt like crying, but if he was going to die, he'd do his damndest to do it with dignity. Instead of feeling scared, he tried to focus on _anger_ ; this was all their faults. His guardians. His... he didn't even know _what_ to call them. He was so confused and now, he'd never get to figure things out. Because he'd be dead before the day was over. His teeth were grinding so hard they could chip and his shoulders were rock stiff, but he didn't notice. Before long, the car pulled into a... an airport!? Eren pounded on the cage separating him from the front seat, the two upfront completely ignoring him. 

"Where are you taking me!? You... you _bastards_." His skin ran red as he started shaking the cage, the metal clanging and rapping and scraping. "It's not enough to kill me. But you can't even let me die at home." Angry, hot tears finally driveled down his face, his best efforts finally vanquished. Fuck dignity. Fuck _everything_. How did he manage to ruin his entire life within the span of a year? 

Soon, he was pulled out of the car by a detached Ms. Zoe and dragged into the airport. He began fighting her as they reached a waiting room, jerking and roughly shoving his elbow into her side, the livid tears still flowing every step of the way. Let them shoot him. What did he have to lose at this point? Might as well go down fighting. Might as well cause one hell of a scene. 

"Eren. Stop it." His heart nearly burst through his chest. That _voice_. 

Through glossy eyes and soggy lashes, he saw him. He wanted to hate him. He wanted to beat him into the ground. Make him suffer and beg for mercy. 

Instead, he ran into his arms and hoped he'd never let go. 

_Levi._

"It's going to be alright. We wont let anything happen to you." Eren's furious crying quickly shifted into tears of relief. And... was he _happy_? 

"I'm sorry for leaving. Without saying anything. And I'm sorry for--" 

"Shhh. Don't worry about that right now," he said, his hands gently brushing up and down his back, the fabric from Eren's shirt crinkling and ruffling. Suddenly, he felt a lump in his throat. 

"Erwin. Where is he? Is he okay?" 

"Come on," he began, pulling back from the embrace, "We have a plane to catch." 

"But Levi--"

"Erwin's already onboard." 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have the protectors become the predators?

"Ah, what beautiful eyes you have, pretty boy..." 

"Uh-huh," muttered Eren, rudely waving him off. He'd heard this probably a thousand times in his life now. Not that it wasn't flattering, but Jesus. Where's the originality nowadays? The man ran in front of him, blocking his field of vision, causing Eren to scoff. His cheeks were tinged with a subtle red. "Hey, old man. Get the fuck out of my way. I'm not interested." He pushed past him and tried to calm down-- at this rate, he'd need blood pressure medicine by the time he was nintenteen. The world really needed to start cutting him a break at some point. 

"Don't call me 'old man' as if you aren't into it," he said with a smirk. Eren paused and slowly turned around, puzzled. 

"What?" 

"You're their pet, no?" Eren rolled his eyes and continued walking away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." 

"I was sure it was you..." The boy continued his stride, trying to shake off the discomfort this conversation was causing. " _Eren_."

That got his attention. He whipped around, mouth agape. 

"Who are you?" The man's nasty smirk had yet to leave his face. It only pissed him off even more. The man laughed. 

"Such temper you have," he said following his amused laughter. "I can see why they keep you around." 

Oh, no. This man... he knew. He knew _everything_. That much was obvious. How the hell did he find them? They weren't even in the same _country_ anymore. It'd been months since their new lives had begun. Everything was finally starting to fall into place. Everyone was nearly over the eruption of events that had caused so much trouble. Erwin and Levi were still together, and both were on friendly terms with Eren. They had tried to live together, the three of them, but it just didn't work. Things always seemed to fall into Eren being treated like a child which in turn lead to him _acting_ like one. And while Levi strictly stirred clear of anything romantic/sexual to absurd lengths, Erwin never could shake his attraction for the boy... nobody ever said anything, but everyone could feel it. He had grown claustrophobic. He needed room. He needed to grow. It took convincing, but the men eventually gave in and bought him his own apartment in downtown London. Yeah. _London_. Names changed. Identities wiped. Slates clean. 

But someone finally found them. Or, at least, him. 

"Don't worry. I'm not going to blab on you. You see, I used to work for Kenny." Ugh. That name. It had been so long since he'd been forced to hear it. "And honestly? I'm none too fond of him these days." 

"That's great," replied Eren, everything about his demeanor unenthusiastic. "So I guess you wont mind letting me get on with my damn day, then." It was a statement. He swallowed back the apprehension he felt due to someone knowing who he was and tried, yet again, to continue on. As if it would be easy. 

It never was. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

"You said 7:30, right?" asked Erwin, straightening his tie. Levi looked up from his menu and tried his best to convey his annoyance. 

"Of course I did. Look, we know what he likes. Get him a damn coke." Levi smiled. "With a silly straw." 

"See, that's just the kind of thing that keeps him from wanting to live with us." 

"Oh, he thinks he's an _adult_ , Erwin. Let him pretend in peace for fuck's sake. Spread his wings or some shit. Whatever the kids are doing these days." 

"Would it kill you to watch your language? This is a fancy restaurant." Erwin grimaced. Levi's eyes fell into the back of his skull before returning his attention to the menu. 

"Thanks for waiting," said a breathless Eren, popping down into the empty seat. Levi hummed with a nod and Erwin's eyes studied the boy. He looked tired. And pale. Eren Yeager was _never_ pale. "Before you say anything," he said, looking to Erwin, "I'm recovering from a little stomach bug. So spare me any lectures, okay?" 

"Yeah, Erwin. Spare the lectures," echoed Levi, smirking as he continued eyeing the menu. Erwin let out a frustrated sigh and sipped his water; his hands flew up in surrender. 

"If the lecture king says kill the lectures, then I guess I have no choice." Erwin smiled at Eren, his affection never more apparent. It'd only been a week since they'd seen each other, but it might as well have been a year. He missed him so. And he knew without a doubt that Levi felt the same way. Even if the stubborn bastard would never admit it. 

They caught up over dinner. An hour passed and Levi had somehow managed to get batshit drunk, to Eren's amusement. Erwin was not amused at all. Levi sure complained about babysitting a lot for someone who had to be babysat. 

After getting the little devil to finally pass out comfortably in bed, Erwin and Eren put on a movie in the living room. It was... awkward. 

They were sitting on opposite sides of the couch, a big bowl of popcorn sitting between them. Neither were paying much attention to the movie, but they both remained silent, the tension palpable. Eventually, it was Erwin who broke the loud, painful silence. 

"Eren... I... I really wish you'd move back with us." Eren drooped over on his side of the couch. He knew this would come. Again. "We're constantly worried over you." 

"You shouldn't be." Erwin turned his face to Eren's.

"You look sick." 

"I _am_ sick," he snapped. "I told you. Stomach bug."

"It's more than that." Eren had no response to that. He was really, really growing tired of his whole 'perfect parent Erwin' routine. When would he give it up already? At least Levi was transparent about his immorality. 

"Someone's been touching you." Ah. There it is. 

Any facade of patience Eren wore dissipated within an instant. 

"That's none of you business, Erwin." His jaw was clenched and his cheeks were starting to burn. 

"Take your shirt off." His voice was cold.

" _What_? Have you lost your fucking mind?" Eren jumped up, indignant and thoroughly pissed. Erwin only mirrored his stance by standing in front of him, his eyes dark and serious. Eren suddenly felt very small. His hair stood. It'd been a while since Erwin frightened him. He thought, since then, that he'd uncovered the puppy hiding inside. Maybe that puppy was actually more of a wolf.

"Do it." Eren backed away, horrified as Erwin followed. Was Levi still awake? "Don't get the wrong idea. I just want to make sure you're okay." His tone was warm again and it angered Eren to hear him, again, mimicking a concerned father figure. His personality switches were giving him whiplash. 

"I'm leaving. Step aside or I'm calling Levi." Ugh. He felt really dumb resorting to getting Levi, but he had to face facts. There was no way he'd ever be able to match up with Erwin in a battle of physicality. 

"Eren, please. You're misunderstanding me." Panic. He was panicking. Why? 

"And you're misunderstanding me, Erwin." Eren's anger was beginning to tip the scale again; fear took a back seat. "Let's clear some things up. I'm not your son. I'm not your _lover_. And I'm sure as hell not someone you can order around and manipulate for your own twisted pleasures. Do you understand?" Erwin stared at the wall behind the boy's head, absorbing his words, pain slowly becoming evident on his face. 

"I just love you, Eren. I... I Just want to take care of you." He grabbed the boy's arm, halting his movement. 

"I don't need that." 

"You may think that. But you just don't understand. One day, you'll thank me." He pulled Eren towards him and ripped his shirt off. He covered his mouth before he could make any serious noise. "I knew it. You're covered." He eyed up and down Eren's torso, pain etched into his face as he bore witness to the countless marks left all over. Marks that didn't belong there. 

Eren struggled to get out of his grip and actually managed to after a lucky jab of the elbow into the man's side. The boy ran as fast as he could to Levi's room, leaving Erwin to recover from the sharp blow. He blasted through the door and hopped into the bed, frantically shaking Levi awake. 

"Shit, what. What the hell's going on?" He croaked, still in a semi-dream state. Maybe this _was_ a dream. 

"Levi! Erwin has lost his damn mind, okay? You have to get me away from him. He's insane." Levi huffed and sat up, letting his eyes adjust to the punishing light. 

"What? Eren, I'm sure you're misunderstanding," he said, rubbing his eyes. 

"Levi, grab him!" It was Erwin. "Look at him. _Look_ at him! We were dead wrong to let him leave."

"Calm down..." Levi was suddenly wide awake. He looked to Eren and cringed at all the marks covering his body. 

"So this is what you've been up to..." Levi didn't sound happy and Eren suddenly felt ill at the realization that... _shit_. What if Levi took Erwin's side? Why had he ever invested his trust in a couple of criminals? 

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid._  

Surely he wouldn't. _Surely he wouldn't._  

With a sigh, Levi looked to a very upset Erwin who was still standing in the doorway. 

"Well?" asked the man. Levi glanced to an increasingly uneasy Eren and sighed. 

"Cuff him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wont get to update as often as usual so when i do, shit will prob hit the fan a lot
> 
> gotta indulge myself, ya know?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beast can only be controlled for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you might wanna heed the tags for this chapter. this could be super triggering for some people so read at your own discretion. 
> 
> reminder: this story is fucked up and the relationships are seriously unhealthy. want fluff? look elsewhere.

"Get off of me! Let me go!" Eren punched and kicked and used every muscle in his body trying to escape Erwin's impenetrable grasp. The man's huge arm was wrapped around the boy's neck, effectively head locking him; every jerk Eren's body managed made it harder to breath, his circulation becoming more and more cut off. He was already exhausted but he would never stop fighting this psycho. Not as long as he was still conscious. 

"Quit fighting," said Erwin in a low voice that reminded him of his mother when she wanted to calm him down as a child. It made Eren want to vomit. Did these two really think what they were doing was to help him? 

"I think they're in the trunk." Levi was calmly digging through a drawer, his composure perfectly intact as Eren yelled and struggled. 

"No, they're in the backseat. In the safe. I'll get them. Hold him until I'm back," said Erwin as he dragged Eren to a suddenly exasperated Levi. "If you can handle him, that is." The she smaller man narrowed his eyes. 

"Give him here." Erwin unraveled his arms from the boy's neck and Levi took hold of both his wrists until Eren was transferred to Levi. Weirdly, the boy immediately stopped trashing as soon as Erwin's hands were off of him. "I always knew he liked you better," muttered Erwin with a sigh as he exited the room, keys in hand. Levi's expression wasn't a pleased one, however. He knew exactly what Eren was thinking. 

The boy began fighting with all his might a few seconds upon Erwin's departure. Levi clenched his teeth and rapidly pulled Eren's arm over his head in a parallelizing angle, the only sound in the room a painful wail as the boy fell to his knees. 

"Thought you had an easier match with me, did you?" he teased, eyes still narrowed. An amused laugh escaped his lips. "Oh, Eren. The only thing Erwin has going for him is his size." He looked down at the now frozen boy. He didn't dare move in this position-- even breathing hurt. What the hell kind of maneuver was this? 

"I'll stop. Let my arm go, fuck," said Eren between ragged breaths, the pain in his arm moving higher and higher until it touched his neck. 

"That's a good boy." He had mercy and stopped showing off; Eren's arm was released only for his wrists to be grabbed again and held behind his back, keeping him from moving. But at least it wasn't painful anymore. "You know, I try really  _hard_." Levi leaned his nose into the crook of Eren's neck and inhaled, his fists tightening around the boy's wrists. "I try hard not to think of you in this way." Eren was still as he felt the man's face nuzzle into him from behind, jolting as wet lips pressed into his damp skin. "But when you struggle..." 

"Do it." Levi tensed. 

"What?" 

"Fuck me. It's what you want, isn't it? If you let me go, I'll fuck you as many times as you want." 

The room erupted with a crack. Levi had yanked the boy's arm over his head again. Eren grunted and fell hard on the floor and twisted around in a doomed attempt to escape Levi's hold before he left this situation with broken bones. Levi threw him onto his back and sat on his legs, his eyes completely unreadable.

"Is that what you said to the man who left all those marks on you?" 

Eren took advantage of his arms being free and propped himself onto his elbows, giving himself enough momentum to ram Levi right in the face. With his head. Levi hissed in shocked pain, immediately rolling off of Eren's legs. Not a second was wasted. He kicked Levi in the ribs, hard, wanting a little insurance before he left the apartment. The man didn't relent, though, on his feet within the blink of an eye, the superhuman speed making Eren feel dizzy. His captor charged directly into him and the two found themselves locked in a brawl, Eren finally putting up the fight he knew he was damned capable of. He landed a few punches to Levi's face, the blood running down the man’s now busted lip serving as much needed encouragement, ripping Levi’s shirt as he fought for traction. Regrettably, and inexplicably, his eyes took in the chiseled skin that teased him beneath the cracks of sweaty, bloody fabric. He licked his lips. 

Now it was Levi who was encouraged. 

He shoved Eren onto the ground with a thud and sunk his teeth into the boy's neck, eliciting a crazed thrust from the trapped body below him. He lapped at the blood that instantly spouted from the wound and met the boy's lips, pleased when he felt Eren's tongue plunge into his mouth, a foreign growl vibrating into the depths of the man's throat. Oh, god. He was so hard. He was just so damn hard. 

He loved how the boy challenged him. How he fought. Even when it was all futile. As if he didn't realize how weak and small he actually was. Like a poodle that thought it was a pitbull. He had longed for ages to be the one who taught him a hard, painful lesson:

He was fucking _helpless_. 

Levi's hands slid below Eren's pants and he couldn't help but hum to himself happily as he traced the outline of the boy's solid, dripping cock. He laughed into the boy's mouth as he pulled away from those tantalizing lips to take in the sight before him. Eren's eyes were lidded and his cheeks a sinful, darkened pink. He could feel the pulse echo throughout every vessel embedded within the boy's surrendering, vanquished body.  

"With you, one sickness is healed," he whispered, lowering the boy's pants and his own, so smooth and catlike that Eren didn’t even notice, "but the other erupts like a _volcano_." 

A terrible, gorgeous scream filled Levi's ears like the song you can never get enough of after he nearly shoved the entirety of his dick into Eren all at once, the boy's body tensing in unbearable pain, his eyes wide with shock. No preparation, no lube. Nothing but Levi.

"Tell me who it was, Eren," his voice was determined and calculated as he pulled out and thrusted back in, this time bottoming out, his body sinking into the wildly shaking one below him. Eren was sobbing at the top of his lungs as Levi began pummeling into him repeatedly without stopping. "I'll kill them."

He shoved Eren's shirt up and latched onto a nipple, saliva pooling out of his mouth as he ran his tongue all around the hardened, pink skin, eventually latching on with his teeth. Eren was relieved when a twinge of pleasure finally began mixing in with the pain and he arched his back as Levi finally slowed his pace. "That's it, _whore_. I think you've learned your lesson," he said, his mouth right beside Eren's ear, the tone soft and relenting. "Now for the prize. For taking it like a filthy fucking _slut_. Those lovely moans of yours..." Eren cried like an animal, his voice unrecognizable and undone as his the man atop him curved upwards and skillfully released the ecstasy he desperately needed. He saw nothing but white as his prostate and dick were stimulated in unison and for a minute, he really thought he might die. Never in his life had he felt pleasure like this. Never in his life had he felt  _pain_  like this. 

He knew he was ruined. Mind forever altered. Body never again quenched by anything else.

_Anyone_ else. 

He was a puddle on the floor when Erwin returned a few minutes later. Levi had left him to smoke a cigarette out on the balcony. 

"No," said the blond man, his voice beyond horrified as he ran over to Eren's broken body. "No!" He frantically ran into the kitchen and returned to the living room like lightning, a towel in hand and began dabbing at the blood streaking the boy's thighs. Pain didn't register in Eren's mind like it should. Nothing did. 

"Hey," quietly said Levi as he reentered the room, his shirt tattered and his face swollen with cuts and forming bruises. Erwin winced at the sight and he started to realize the struggle the two went through. No wonder he couldn’t hold back. Couldn’t stop. 

The man could never resist for long when they fought back. 

He’d picked up on that from his uncle Kenny.

And the desire was forever solidified by Erwin. 

A pang rushed over Erwin’s chest. All at once, it hit him just how horrible the two of them were. He had sworn Eren wouldn’t become another victim. No. He loved him too much. Not this one. Not him. 

Levi looked to Eren who was still laying on the floor. He didn't even look sorry. "You knew this would happen."

"I know," said Erwin, nearly whispering, his eyes tired. 

"You saw me breaking."

"I know." Levi walked over to them and crouched to his knees. He ran a gentle hand through Eren's wet, greasy hair. 

“And I saw you breaking, too.”

"Darius Zackly," interrupted Eren through strained vocal chords, his head leaning into Levi's touch. The two men looked to Eren, confused. Eren just looked at Levi as the realization slowly sank in. "When I went with him, it was to make sure he didn't tell Kenny where we were."

"Eren..." White, hot anger covered Levi's face. Erwin just looked concerned, his eyes never breaking with Eren's. 

"But Kenny was there. I walked right into that stupid trap. Just like the stupid kid you knew I was." Eren propped himself up on his elbows and let out a voiceless, airy laugh. "I made a deal with him. For my life. Sex was only half of it." He grabbed the towel from Erwin and wiped the saliva lazily dripping down the corner of his mouth. "The other half--"

"You said you'd bring us to him," stated Levi. 

“Yes."

“Eren.” The boy cocked his head to look to Levi. “You’re free to leave. We wont follow you.” The man stood up and walked to the window. 

Eren was shocked to realize that the idea of leaving Levi made his chest hurt more than the sex had. 

When had that happened? Wasn’t he just trying to run away from him? Didn’t he just have a heated fight with the man? Disgusting, painful, abusive sex? 

He really was ruined, wasn’t he?

“Let me take you to him. You can kill him, and you guys will finally be safe. Then maybe you can get help—“

“There’s no helping me.”

“But—“

“I’ll never learn to stop destroying beautiful things.”

____________________________________________________

“Hey, Eren! I saved you a seat!”

“Thanks, Armin,” said the boy as he walked into the classroom. It was his first year of college and he intended to pass with straight A’s. Personal problems be damned. 

“Did you do the home—- holy shit,” said Armin, a look of horror on his face. “What happened to you?” There was no mistaking the black eye, or the nasty looking teeth marks on his neck that were a swollen dark red. 

“I wont lie,” he responded, fully intending on lying his ass off, “I got into a bit of a fight. We haven’t known each other long, but, like. Fighting is kinda my thing.” Eren smiled innocently and threw his bag down beside his desk. Armin watched as the boy slowly lowered his ass onto the chair, his face strained as he finally let all of his weight rest on the hard surface.

"Geeze, Eren. Aren't you a little old for fights?" he asked, an adorable look of worry in his brow. 

"Aren't you a little old for that haircut?" Armin scoffed and pulled a notebook from his bag. He liked Armin. He was so... _normal_. Unlike literally every other aspect of his life. 

"Very funny," he responded, his fingers beginning to nervously fidget. "Uh, so... Eren." 

"Yes?"

"Look, don't feel obligated or anything, but... I mean, I know we've only known each other for a few months..." He tapped his pencil on the desk, eyes glued to the wall behind Eren's head. "But, would you maybe wanna, I don't know... get some food sometime? Or..." 

"Sure." Eren was smiling. It'd been a really long time since anyone had asked him out on a date. Dates were something normal people did. 

"Wow! Oh, uh..." The little blond was so fucking happy and pure that Eren could feel the cozy warmth radiating from his body. "Okay, um. Awesome. I'll give you my number," he said between a huge grin as he clumsily pulled his phone from his pocket.  

Eren wondered if someone like him could ever even begin to satisfy him now. 

He put his number in the phone and tried to fool himself into believing that he wasn't thinking of Levi Ackerman. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a wild british! armin appears


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i made eren american bc i'm american and know about being american
> 
> sorry

"Wow. I didn't realize we were going somewhere so... formal," said Eren, staring awkwardly to his red sneakers. The restaurant Armin brought him to had fancy chandeliers, napkins folded into little origami swans, and absolutely everyone in attendance was decked out head to toe in suits and gowns. There was even a fucking _ice sculpture._   

"Aw, don't worry," laughed Armin, his cheeks colored with a light blush, "It doesn't matter what you wear. You're still the most beautiful person here." Eren nearly choked on his champagne. He couldn't help but join Armin in his flushed white boy look.

"Fucking stop!" Armin laughed again.

"Besides, it was my fault for not letting you know how people dress here. I kinda forgot. I'm so used to places like this. It just slipped my mind." Armin picked up one fork of many and began eating his salad. Eren looked at the forks and tried his best to grab the one that looked like Armin's. 

"Whoa, someone's a fancy bitch. Do you have a glass slipper hiding in your pocket? 'Cus let me tell you, my feet are kinda big." Eren took another hearty sip of his champagne; the glass was nearly empty and it was already his second. Armin seemed entirely too amused at Eren's... well, Eren's _everything_. He had been laughing ever since they sat down, his face stretched into a constant smile. Eren should have loved that. He should have felt flattered and appreciated. But for some reason, it only depressed him. 

"You're so... so _fun_ , Eren. I'm glad I met you," said Armin, his eyes affectionately glued to his date's. "Who knew something so great would come out of a calculus class." He chuckled as their entrees were delivered. Eren looked down at his lobster and his mood lifted a bit. Fuck, _yes_. He immediately dug in, dipping his lobster meat into the melted butter provided and devouring every bite appreciatively. Armin watched, a humored look on his face as he neatly cut his steak into clean pieces before nibbling on them like a delicate bird. Eren wiped his mouth clean of leaking butter and looked to his date, blinking as he made eye contact.

"Wow. Way to make me feel like a pig-ass American," he said with a laugh, his eyes traveling to the delicious looking mashed potatoes now. "Do you always eat so... _carefully_?"

"Oh, it has nothing to do with being British. I... well. I normally wouldn't divulge so much so early, but, you're just so easy to talk to. I feel comfortable." Armin took a small bite of his steak and meticulously chewed. "You see, I'm sort of recovering. From eating issues. If you get what I mean." Oh, shit. Eren joylessly swallowed the bite of potatoes he had in his mouth, suddenly losing his appetite. 

"God, Armin. I'm really sorry." Armin waved him off.

"No! Don't apologize. Actually, you're helping me. I... it's been a long time since I've eaten in front of someone." He reached out his hand to the one resting on the other side of the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Something about you. Something in your eyes... I can just tell that you wont judge me. That you aren't." Eren's eyes were glued to the table, wandering to the hand resting atop his. He looked back up to Armin, slowly. A smile crept at the edges of his mouth. Eren let out a hollow laugh.

"I'd never have any right to judge anyone. Least of all you, Armin." His date was opening his mouth to respond when Eren's eyes immediately darted to a familiar figure at the front of the restaurant. " _Fuck_." Eren dashed under the table so quickly that it took a moment for Armin to register where he even went. 

"Eren! Hey... what's going on? Are you okay?"

" _Shhh_."

"Hey there, little _rat_." A long barreled gun lifted the cloth from the table, revealing a quickly acting Eren. He busted out right as the gun faced his temple and yanked it across the dining hall. With all his might, he elbowed Kenny in the gut, a muffled grunt escaping the older man's lips as he toppled to the ground. He began stomping the guy's head in, blood splattering all around him as he jerked and struggled, eventually landing his own lethal blow to Eren's jaw, the sound of teeth jamming together echoing throughout the now silent restaurant. Eren cradled his mouth in pain, seriously worried he may have just lost all of his teeth when he caught a horrified stare from Armin. 

"Go. Get out of here!" shouted Eren, blood pooling down the corners of his mouth. He was laying on the ground, feeling as if the sole reason his entire jaw hadn't cracked from his face being the hand he kept underneath it. He braced himself for more pain as Kenny approached, his mind now too dazed to properly fight back, when the sound of a gunshot caused his ears to ring. Not five seconds after he felt himself being pulled off the ground and dragged towards the door. He started kicking and stomping in protest but finally realized... he was being dragged by _Armin_. "What... what are you _doing_? He's going to kill you, damn it! Let me go!" 

"I'd like to see him try," responded Armin as he ran out the door with Eren in tow. His eyes widened as he saw the blond slide a smoking gun into his pocket. Did he... was he the one who _shot_? 

"What the _hell_ is going on!?" he yelled as Armin shoved him into a limo that sped off as soon as the two were closed in the back seat. Eren frantically took in the surroundings; the limo was impeccably clean, the smell of fresh leather permeating the air around him. There was enough room for probably five more people to lay down comfortably if they wanted, but only he and Armin rode in the back. 

"Man, and I thought things were rough for me lately," said a concerned Armin, handing paper towels to Eren. "Hey. Please calm down. You're safe." Eren slowly took the paper towels, his eyes glued to Armin's in utter shock as he held the grumped up towels to his mouth. 

"Why do you have a gun?" Armin smiled. 

"I thought you were American. Isn't carrying guns the norm for you?" Eren let out a sarcastic laugh. 

"Um, not like the one you have. That glock you have there is literally made for blowing the heads off of people." Eren winced as he forced blunt pressure onto his jaw, his demeanor still pretty suspicious. Here he thought Armin was actually normal. What a sneaky little...

"I work undercover, Eren," he finally answered, putting the boy's thoughts to a halt. If Eren wasn't trying to keep his jaw from falling off, he would have let it fall open at the sight of the shiny FBI badge the blond pulled from his pocket. 

"So. You _aren't_ a criminal." _I mean. That's nice, I guess._

"I'm not exactly supposed to flaunt the nature of my work, but. I really couldn't bear that horrified look on your face," he said, big blue eyes glowing in affection. Eren huffed.

"I wasn't scared, if that's what you mean," he snapped, suddenly feeling just as babied as he had with his, uh. Well, whatever you want to call those two psychopaths. "Just... confused." He sighed, pulling the towel away from the wound, eyes boring into the deep blood soaked fabric. "I've been confused for a while now, really. So. Nothing new." He flinched at the light, foreign fingers suddenly stringing through his hair, his eyes bouncing back up to Armin's. He felt sick at how worried his expression was. 

"Eren." Oh, boy. Here it comes. "Why was that man after you?" The sick feeling in his stomach only deepened. 

"How are you even an FBI agent? You can't be any older than I am," he asked, genuinely curious but also fond of changing the subject. 

"I'm slightly advanced in my deductive abilities." Fuck. Was he the successful British version of _him_? His past of solving his own boughts of crime nearly flooded out of his mouth right then and there, but he managed to stop himself. This guy didn't need to know how big of a pathetic failure he was. Still... did Armin even know how dangerous this job was? Had he had life-threatening run-ins with criminals the way he had? Or was he just lucky..."You know... you were pretty quick on your feet for someone my age, yourself," said the blond, his brow slightly furrowed. _Shit._ "You must be advanced, too." Eren couldn't help but genuinely laugh at that. 

"No. Not really," he said, a puff of air flowing through his nose. It didn't take long for Armin to get serious again.

"Who was he, Eren?"

"Look, is this a date or an interrogation?" he questioned, his tone defensive, nearly panicked. He could not do this. He fucking couldn't. He went out with Armin to try and get away from these thoughts, not lay them out on the examining table with a fucking FBI agent. "Do you even know what kind of shit you're trying to get involved with, Armin? Trust me on this. _Stay out of it_."

The rest of the drive was tense and quiet. It was damn awkward. Why did Eren think he could have normal dates? He just wasn't normal. He couldn't drag Armin into his fucked up reality. Reluctantly, the blond dropped him off at his apartment, Eren assuring him his location was strictly hidden from people like Kenny. At that point, Armin was pretty sure Eren wasn't your typical college student. He promised he'd see him at class in the morning and the two parted ways, Eren making the small trek up the stairs to his room, his mind going a million miles a minute in attempt to register the night's events. When he opened the door, his heart jumped, mind suddenly blank. He wasn't sure if the sensation was good or bad. But boy, was it overwhelming. 

"Don't worry, brat. I'm only here to make sure Kenny didn't blow your brains out." Levi was sprawled out on the couch with a newspaper, looking annoyingly comfy for someone who broke into an apartment. 

"And how the hell did you get in here?" Levi's brows scrunched in disbelief. 

"Damn. Maybe he _did_ blow your brains out," he said in a flat tone, placing the newspaper on the coffee table. "You do remember who pays for this apartment, right? Or did you think it was your fairy godmother?" 

"It's the least you can do after everything you've put me through," he replied bitterly, plopping beside him on the couch. Levi looked to him with an empty expression, a beat passing before replying.

"I didn't say it wasn't." Eren was frustrated to realize that he was bothered Levi hadn't even tried touching him. It was frustrating because he should be happy about that. But, god. He wanted to be touched.  

"Yeah, well. I'm fine. So you can go now." 

"You know Kenny wont stop until he's no longer breathing," he said, his intonation matter of fact as he rose to his feet. He turned to look at Eren, the boy's eyes shamefully facing the wall. "We're willing to be turned over, Eren. You could be free within a single instance. He wont leave you alone unless he thinks you helped him."

"I told you before. I'm not afraid of him."

"He will kill you," immediately replied Levi, his hand gripping the door. "And as for that boy you were with tonight..." Eren stopped breathing, his heart skipping a beat. "Your stubbornness will bring him down with you."

"Why do you care about him? I'm guessing you know what his job is."

"I do."

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Eren attempts to distract himself from his unfortunate infatuation with Levi by hanging around the charming, well-to-do Armin, Erwin makes a sudden appearance to throw things even further out of balance.

The next day at class was awkward. Putting it lightly. Eren was sitting in his usual seat, pretending to look over some notes as Armin approached and took the spot next to him. He could feel the blond's eyes bore into him, probably looking for a simple acknowledgement, but Eren's social graces failed him and he only continued staring at the paper on his desk. It didn't take seeing Armin to know he felt a bit hurt at the avoidance. That boy's aura could be read like a damn book.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," he whispered as the lecture began. Eren finally looked over and shot him a forced smile, nodding, then glued his eyes to the professor. Ugh. Why was he acting like this? Armin was being perfectly kind and considerate after what happened, and he couldn't even look at him. Why was he such a shit head?

The class ended forty-five minutes later, and Eren darted out of that room like his life depended on being the first out the building. Armin managed to catch up with him, though. He was a better detective than him, so why not a faster runner? Made sense. 

Shit. Was Eren... _jealous_ of him? 

"Eren!" He involuntarily cringed at the sound of his own name and forced himself to face Armin, managing only a weak smile. "Is there a reason you're ignoring me?" Eren could feel himself being eyed up and down, and the awkwardness of the situation was beginning to boil over into annoyance. 

"Is there a reason you can't stop staring?" he snapped. Armin looked confused. 

"Did I do something to upset you? I didn't intend--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're perfect, aren't you? A perfect fucking gentleman. You never intend anything, do you?" Eren huffed and began storming in the other direction towards the bus stop. Awesome, Eren. Awesome. Keep being a stupid brat. You're nailing it. 

"Hey!" He felt himself jerk back as Armin's hand forcefully grabbed onto an arm. He yanked his hand away from him and... growled? Yeah. That was a growl. "What's your problem? I just wanted to make sure everything was alright! Damn it, Eren!" 

"The last thing I need in my life is another babysitter! Especially one my own goddamn age who happens to be the better version of me!" he yelled, his face beginning to turn red. 

"B- baby sitter?"

"Yeah! _Babysitter_."

"I have no idea what you mean. People who care about each other tend to check up on each other after near death experiences. I didn't realize it was such a crazy concept to Americans..." Eren blinked, sobering to his little outburst for a moment and running a frustrated hand through his hair. 

"Armin, I'm sorry. I'm just really going through some shit right now. I'm stressed the fuck out and I'm not thinking clearly." Eren took a few deep breaths and looked at Armin, starting to feel like the asshole he was acting like. 

"It's okay. I understand." 

"No. You don't," quietly said Eren, his voice strained and tired. "Let's talk later, okay? I have a dentist appointment right now." Armin's eyes widened and he let out a cute little gasp. 

"Because of yesterday?"

"Yeah. One of my teeth chipped and I'm getting it fixed. The damage is only superficial, so that's good, I guess." 

"I can see you later, though?" Eren smiled. A real reaction this time. 

"Sure. We can get drinks later tonight." Armin returned the smile. 

"I look forward to it."

____________________________________________________________________________________

As Eren stumbled out of the dentist chair, laughing gas quickly wearing off but still leaving him a bit foggy, he internally groaned at the only man sitting in the waiting room. It was Erwin. He was reading one of those shitty magazines these places provide, seeming super invested in the page he was reading. It was obvious he was just pretending, though-- the guy had been waiting on Eren to step out of those swinging doors shielding the family members (hah) from the patients, and he knew Erwin was highly aware of his presence. He couldn't help but lose his eyes to the back of his head as he dragged himself to the front desk, smiling at the lady sitting behind the glass window. Eren was pilfering through his wallet, but a clicking tongue stopped him. She returned the smile and waved him off.

"You're paid for, dear. Your dad is waiting for you." A warm smile was worn on her face as she closed the window and went back to her computer work. Eren let out a highly audible laugh as his heels rotated towards Erwin. The man acted like he finally noticed his presence, a fake surprised look on his face as he closed the magazine and started to greet him, an affectionate smile plastered on his face. 

"Hey, _dad_!" Eren hardly cared much in playing along with his act. Before Erwin could stand, Eren had plopped himself onto his lap, pushing the man back down. "Thank you so much for covering my fee." He leaned forward and placed a sloppy, wet kiss to Erwin's cheek before hopping off of his lap and hauling ass out the door. Erwin chased after him. 

"Hey! Eren!" He seemed irritated and Eren loved it. He stopped without turning around, his arms casually stretching as he stood in place. 

"Yes, dad?" He turned around and his amused shenanigans came to a halt. Erwin looked... like he'd been through some shit. The normally vibrant, blue eyes were dull and the light wrinkles around them were more pronounced than usual. To Eren's horror, it looked like the guy was close to breaking down into tears. "Uh, hey. Sorry. I didn't think you'd be so upset--"

"Levi left me." 

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_. 

"Oh." He honestly never saw this coming. The two had been through a lot together and their relationship appeared damn near bullet proof. And now, out of the blue, suddenly it was over? Why now? 

"I've been trying to distract myself. But the only other thought in my mind is... well. You." 

"Erwin," gently uttered the boy, "you know that would never work." 

"No! No. That isn't what I'm trying to do. Just... I worry about you. All the time. If something happened to you, Eren. I'd never forgive myself. This is my fault. Your predicament." Eren tried to comfort him with a half-assed smile. The fact is, both Levi and Erwin shared a lot of blame in his current situation. As much as Eren thought himself independent and adultlike at the time of their meeting, he just wasn't. He was a kid. He still was in a lot of respects, as much as he hated admitting to that. But he couldn't help but feel some of the blame was his. 

"Come on, Erwin. Don't give yourself so much credit."

"Levi is a monster." His voice was cold now, his eyes bearing a deadly gleam. "I knew that. And I let him control me. I let him control _you_." Eren tensed and began losing the sympathy he felt for the man. Was he really going to put all the blame on Levi? Like he wasn't just as bad? He struggled to keep a kind composure. Or... was he just really, really confused in the whole matter? It's not like his moral compass took no damage during these last few years of his life. 

"I need to get going," he spouted quickly, trying to end the interaction. He didn't want to think about this. 

"Wait. Eren, I'm sorry. I don't mean to upset you, or pit you against Levi," he said in almost a pleading tone, the giant shadow of his easily overtaking Eren's. If he stayed much longer, more than his shadow would be taken. "Let me take you out." There it was. 

"It's a bad idea." Erwin always seemed so loving and caring, but in the midst of all this confusion, Eren wondered if he was actually even genuine. Was he being fooled? Taken advantage of? Goddamn it. Was _he_ the _crazy_ one? Fuck. He was really starting to get lost in the assessment. 

"It'll be fun. Besides, I think we both could need it. I heard about your little scuffle... with Kenny. Let me protect you." Ah, right. Out of everyone, Erwin was the most obsessed with being the safekeeper of everyone. Him, Levi, and hell, probably whoever the fuck else he'd ever had romantic interests in. He couldn't help but remember the time Erwin mentioned that Eren wouldn't end up another victim. _Another_. Just how many people have been a part of their sick, twisted relationship before he had? ... and were they okay? 

"I already have a date. I'm sorry." Oh, god, could you see the absolute destruction of his morale with that simple statement. Ugh. He didn't need this guilt. Why should he be the one to feel guilty? This wasn't fair. 

"Why don't you love me the way you love him?" 

"W- what?" Eren backed away a few centimeters without realizing it. This conversation was taking an absolute turn for the worst. The big, soft teddybear seemed to grow menacing fangs within a the blink of an eye.

"I was always nicer to you than Levi. I cared more. I never hurt you the way he did," he continued, an eery chill in his voice. His hands had taken the form of shaking fists. Eren could feel his throat sinking into his gut. 

"I have to go." 

"No. You don't, Eren. When will you see that?"

"Hey, Eren!" 

Fuck. It was Armin. 

"Glad you're out of the dentist! Want to come get ready with me? I live really close to the club," he said cheerily, quickly taking note of Erwin. He met him with a pleasant smile. Erwin was all but clinging to an incredibly fragile composure of normalcy. "Is this your dad? Man. I hope I age as well as he does!" Armin sounded nothing but kind, but there was a hint of... _something_ , in his voice. Eren couldn't place what it was. But it was definitely off. 

Erwin was quick to snap back to a facade of utmost control and warmth. 

"That's right," he chuckled, not deceiving Eren one bit. "You boys take care tonight." He reeled Armin into a polite handshake, nodded towards Eren and then turned in the opposite direction. 

"I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon!" shouted Armin, Eren still unable to figure out what was so weird about his tone. 

"I'm certain we will." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh-oh. is erwin about to snap? hopefully his hair wont look as bad as it does in season 3.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery of Armin finally unravels. Eren has never felt more alone.

"Here. You can borrow one of my shirts, if you want." 

"Uh... do you think any of them would fit?" asked Eren, shuffling on his feet as he stood in the doorway of Armin's bedroom. 

"Oh, come on. I'm not _that_ much smaller than you." Eren opened his mouth to respond but was silenced by a clean shirt flying into his face. He caught it before it hit the ground and held it out in front of himself to get a better look. 

"Ya know, I could just go home for a while until it's time to go out. My clothes are there. My size and everything." 

"No," replied Armin without missing a beat. Eren's eyes snapped from the shirt to the blond standing at the closet. 

"No?" 

"No, Eren." He stepped out of the closet's shadow and made eye contact with a confused, slightly irritated Eren. "Please." Eren arched a brow and crossed his arms. 

"Listen, you don't have to worry about me, okay? Believe it or not, I'm probably just as prepared to protect myself as you are. If not more." 

"Why were you hanging around a criminal? You _aren't_ one, are you?" Armin's brows creased and his muscles noticeably tensed. Eren tossed the shirt back to its owner and turned tail out of the room. 

"And what if I am?" he mumbled as he stumbled down the stairs. He didn't have to put up with this shit. He had enough on his plate without Mr. Perfect Detective Gentleman Angel Man at his beck and call with a constant wave of accusations and suspicion. Just who did this kid think he was? He knew nothing about Eren at all. Nothing about all he'd been through or why he did what he did. He had no right to but into his life with his sanctimonious bullshit. He was at the door when he heard the cock of a gun for what must have been the millionth time. Not even afraid, his neck jerked himself around to face Armin holding a gun to his face from the stairway. 

"Oh, jesus _god_. _What_?" 

"You sound annoyed," commented the blond, his grip on the gun not loosening. "You aren't like Erwin Smith, are you?" Holy shit. He knows his name. 

"W-what? Why do you... how do you know who he is?" He knew Erwin was known in the States. But the UK, too? 

"He's a pretty well-known drug dealer over here across the pond. A pretty scary sexual deviant on the side. I'm surprised the idiot shows his face the way he does." 

"Sexual deviant...?" 

"So, when did you trade being a detective for a criminal?" Eren's eyes nearly fell out of his head and his knees went weak, his hands grabbing onto the wall next to him for balance. 

"You knew who I was from the beginning..." Eren choked on his own saliva as he ran a hand through his dampening hair. His eyes widened as another realization dawned on him. "Did you... were you after me? Is that why you showed so much interest? Holy fucking shit. You.. you _asshole_!"

"Calm down, Eren," said Armin, his voice slightly cracked. He looked genuinely upset with the situation. "Things started with a job. But I really started to like you. Just..." He sighed and closed his eyes. 

"Are you even a _student_?" He was panting in rage and shock now. He thought he finally found someone good. Someone nice. But it was yet another fucking lie. Another trick. He let out an exasperated grunt. "Just put the damn gun down. I'm not a criminal."

"Then why is he paying you money?" he asked, a slightly ashamed look on his face at the question. "Erwin and his team has always been known for grooming workers young." Eren let out a bitter laugh. 

"Oh, I've been groomed. But not for _that_." Armin stood in thought for a moment before a sickly pale began flushing over his face. " _Yeah_. Now if you're done humiliating me and royally pissing me off over an already super shitty situation, then I'm fucking _leaving_." Armin dropped his gun and ran towards the door as Eren opened it, stopping him by grabbing onto his shoulder. 

"Don't leave. Let me help you--"

"You think you can help? You think you're any stronger, craftier, any _better_ than me?" angrily questioned Eren as he shook his arm from the blond. "Come to think of it, you really should stay away from me. And out of Erwin's sight. You could be his type for all we know." He stormed out of the building. "I don't want your sympathy. And I _don't_ want your help." 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The club was booming. But not because of anybody in particular. It was booming because it was a club. A normal, faceless, slutty club. And that's just what Eren wanted. He needed to get away from names. From identities. He just wanted to be around people. An all encompassing being that felt good to the touch and tasted sweet to the tongue. A being that was harmless and fun. He had made until about 1 AM when he couldn't take it inside anymore. Some incredibly attractive Spanish man was under Eren's sharp talons as he tugged him behind an alley and passionately shoved him into the wall. At least he assumed he was attractive. It was hard to tell through the blurring daze of the alcohol. But christ did the guy have the softest, wettest slips. Lips that felt good as they pressed their way down Eren's neck, to his damp stomach, to the pronounced v of his pelvic bones. He didn't remember his pants coming off but soon those lips were wrapped around his pained cock and the sound of smacking and panting hissed upwards into Eren's ear. 

He was both confused and disappointed to feel utterly unsatisfied and depressed as he climaxed into the man's hungry, warm throat. 

The man sucked a few more times as some sinister version of euphoria passed through Eren's system, soon back to his feet and whispering in Eren's ear. 

" _My turn_."

He obliged but didn't enjoy it. The pulling of hair only hurt and irritated as he worked the guy's dick like an arcade machine, his tongue mechanically lapping up the slick dribbling from the slit. The moans, grunts, and pleasure flowing from the man made him feel even more depressed. 

The two said their goodbyes after classessly pleasuring each other in the dark alley way, the florescent lights from the club shining upon him as if urging him into the gates of hell. He hadn't been this upset in a while. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was a lot of things. He felt reckless. He felt thoroughly _fucked up_. He was beginning to remember the white powder he inhaled off of the bathroom sink. When was the last time he drank water? Did he eat? He wondered if he'd remembered his insulin that day. 

He was suddenly terrified that he could be dying. He needed a parent. His dad.  

He pulled out his phone and texted Levi instead. 

_To Levi: im not feeling good. i really miss you. im afraid here._

He meant to let him know his location and to beg him to come pick him up but he'd used all his energy just to text what he did. He laid down outside of the club, briefly feeling amused at how trashy his night ended up being. How trashy he must look. Not like he cared, though.

Ghosts didn't care much about appearances. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't planning on doing much with armin at first but well here we are


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren finds that he survived the night despite some severely poor decision making. The gratitude doesn't last long.

"Good morning, Eren." 

The sun was high in the sky. The alarm clock next to the bed said it was almost 5 o'clock. It was hot under the thick, soft blanket and nausea was becoming more and more apparent. He sat up and to his relief, there was already a trashcan next to the bed. He leaned over to grab it and just barely made it in time. He retched painful lines of bile until his stomach deemed the all clear and then plopped back onto the bed. God, did he feel like shit. The monster of all hangovers. He really wasn't even sure what happened last night and that scared him. Everything hurt. His head, his stomach. His muscles. All of it. 

"You really worried me, you know. What were you thinking?" Eren squinted his eyes to make sense of the figure looming in the doorway. 

"Erwin?" 

"I knew I shouldn't have let you go out with that Armin boy," he reflected, his eyes a dull blue that couldn't be trusted. Eren should have been irritated that Erwin would even suggest he could control what he did in his life, but for now, he was just really damn confused. 

"Where did you find me?" A light sigh passed through Erwin's nose and he walked forward, meeting him at the bed. He perched on the side. 

"You were outside of a club. Just laying on the curb like a dying animal," he vented, a twinge of disgust coloring his tone. "You didn't seem well at all and you wouldn't respond when I tried talking to you. So I brought you to my apartment where I could care for you." 

"If I was as sick as you say, then you should have taken me to a hospital." His heart pumped aggressively through his arteries; he felt it all the way down to his feet and could hear it in his ears. It was deafening.  

"No," he immediately countered. "I don't trust anyone to care for you anymore. Nobody but me." It was pretty clear that Erwin was _not_ okay at this point and that the situation was precarious. Eren wanted to express his anger and frustration, but thought better of it. He was dealing with a person he didn't know right now. Something in Erwin's eyes told him not to rock the boat just yet. 

"My insulin..."

"I already gave it to you." 

"I really don't feel right, Erwin." And he didn't. In more ways than one. But he knew his physical health was definitely in question. He was shaking and the blanket was beginning to feel uncomfortably sticky with sweat. There was something wrong with his blood sugar. No doubt about it. 

"Of course you don't. You got drunk off your ass last night. What did you expect?" Erwin ran a thumb down Eren's reddening cheek, the cool sweat transferring onto his own skin. A deep chuckle slid from his lips as he leaned down to peck Eren on the forehead. "Rest, little one." He internally cringed at the nick name but wore a stoic demeanor. He really did feel like sleeping, actually. But he was afraid he wouldn't wake up. He was beginning to realize he'd at least need to pretend to sleep when a quiet "plop" could be heard from another room. He arched his head towards the direction of the strange noise, but could see Erwin's expression in his peripheral; the man seemed concerned. 

"Is somebody here?" 

"No. Just you and me. Something must have fallen," confidently answered Erwin, rising from the bed. "Please, rest now. Your body needs it. I'll bring you something to eat in about thirty minutes." Eren couldn't deny he was starving and desperately needed the calories, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep anything down. Still, he nodded, choosing to appear obedient until he figured a way out of this damn mess. 

When Erwin brought food later on, Eren felt absolutely miserable. The blond sat a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on a tray over his waist after propping him up with some pillows. The sight was enough to cause gagging. In response, Erwin pulled out a syringe. Uh.... 

"What's that?" he asked, his voice managing to hide the fear welling up inside his gut. 

"Anti-nausea medicine." Oh. Well, that actually might help a lot. Part of him wondered if he should trust that's what the medicine actually was, but he didn't have much of a choice in taking it. Plus, Erwin didn't want him hurt. Or dead. Right? 

He willingly took the injection in the veins riddled across the pale, soft side of his upper arm, the prick nothing compared to how utterly nauseous he felt. Erwin stopped the bleeding with a bandaid and took a seat on the bed, a gentle hand massaging his shoulder. The massage continued for about five minutes, spanning from the shoulder, to the upper back, to the lower back. By now, Eren felt an obvious euphoria and his pain and nausea had pleasantly disappeared. Erwin smiled as Eren showed signs of feeling much better, handing him a piece of the grilled cheese now. 

"I mixed the nausea medicine with a bit of oxycodone for the pain. I didn't think you would mind," he said with a playful grin. Eren bit into the sandwich and he swore he could physically feel the sugar meeting his bloodstream, breathing life into his starving cells. "That's it, sweetheart." 

"Stop." He was feeling better. Stronger. And more honest now. Erwin jerked slightly. 

"Stop what?"

"Stop talking to me like I'm a little goddamn kid, Erwin," he snapped, angrily shoving a big bite into his mouth. 

"You think the situation you got into last night inspires much faith in you?" Eren's appetite was beginning to dwindle with the uncomfortable atmosphere developing in the room. 

"I don't care if I'm the biggest idiot in the entire fucking world! It's my life. I'm an adult. It doesn't matter if you have faith or not." A hand tightly clutched his shoulder following a foreboding laugh. 

"Eighteen year olds are adults by legality only." 

"That's weird. And here I believed in the law." 

"I'm a killer, Eren. You think I give much weight to the law?" Well damn. The last bite of the sandwich sat uneaten on the plate, Eren's body stiff with unease and completely over the food. He'd gotten what he needed from it. Now it was time to get out of here. He sat up, jerking his shoulder and crawling off the front of the bed as quickly as possible, darting it for the door. Erwin didn't budge. That should have been a good thing, but Eren _really_ didn't feel right about it. He got to the door and it was locked. From the inside? What the fuck. This was worse than he realized. Erwin has finally snapped and it wasn't pretty at all. Was he... holding him captive? Sure, he'd been held captive before. But Erwin's eyes were warm then. And Levi was there... 

_Levi._

Holy goddamn shit. 

He had texted _Levi._ He remembered now. How could Erwin have found him... 

" _He's here_ ," Eren whispered to himself, his blood running cold despite the sugar. Erwin did something to him. He took his phone. That noise from earlier... 

"Come on, Eren," said a calm Erwin, his voice echoing from the stairs as he made his way to the foyer. "You really shouldn't be this excited right after a near-death experience, wouldn't you agree?" 

"Where is he?" And there it was again. A flash of danger crossed those icy, blue eyes and that big, teddybear body stood stiff. His reaction said it all. Levi _was_ being held hostage, too. 

"You want to see him, Eren?" questioned Erwin, anger lacing his tongue. Frustration. Bitterness. "Of course you do. _Of course you_ do. I take care of you. I care for you. I save your life. And who do you want?" Erwin was standing right in front of Eren now, his large body easily eclipsing the boy's. Eren's body was as close to the wall as it could possibly get. But that didn't last long. He was ripped from his stance and bluntly dragged across the floor despite doing everything he could to stay in place. The grip around his wrist was unrelenting and the meticulous care the man once took in handling the boy was gone. 

"Where are you taking me?!" he shouted through the struggle, his voice uneven and strained as he fought. 

"Have I ever not given into what you wanted, Eren?" A basement. He was being taken to a basement. Oh, god... what if he...

"Erwin... what... what's going on?" 

"I'm taking you to see him. Your wish, love, is only my command." 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A whirlwind romance comes to an abrupt end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been busy with work and school so haven't been able to write much. thought i'd move things along with a tiny little chapter, tho.
> 
> shit should hit the fan with the next update. xoxo

"Levi, please. Just... just take me back, Levi. We love each other..."

"Erwin, stop it." Levi was sitting in his apartment dining room, a leg swung over the other as he worked on his laptop. Over the last few weeks, he had been attempting to start a new life, so to speak. He wanted a new everything. That meant getting rid of everything else. Erwin was one of those things. Levi wasn't going to deny that he lived an incredibly toxic existence on his own; but Erwin had brought that toxicity to its peak from the moment the two met. He knew he was ruined. But he wanted to at least try in life. For once. He wanted to _try_. 

"Going to Eren, are you?" he asked, eyes glued to the floor as he stood in the door way. Levi hadn't exactly welcomed him inside for a nice visit. 

"No." 

"Don't lie to me." He clandestinely locked the door behind him. Not that Levi didn't notice, though. "You went to his apartment only yesterday." 

"To make sure he was alive. I guess I wanted to ensure my killing Kenny tomorrow wasn't a pointless venture." He stopped typing to stir his cooling tea, his eyes still bored and facing the screen. Erwin scoffed.

"You know if you die, he'll only make sure Eren's death is a very, very painful one for double-crossing him." 

"Which is precisely why I intend to live." 

"You know I can't let you go," he stated, tone matter of fact. Levi showed no reaction. "As your lovers--"

"You aren't either of our lovers." And that was it. Erwin launched towards Levi but Levi already anticipated where this situation was going; he dodged the large man's impact and watched as he crashed into the chair, the legs breaking beneath the force. 

"Oh, Erwin. You broke my chair." Levi still looked bored to death as he pulled out a gun and aimed it towards Erwin. "Now I'll have to break your _skull_." 

"Why? Why was I never good enough for you?" the man croaked from the floor, his eyes sharply wincing towards the gun in Levi's hands. "I did everything for you--" His words were stopped by the cold, hard trauma of the pistol's head connecting to the jaw.

"You abused me. Stuck a fork in me. Don't mistake that for saving me. And if you think you'll do the same thing to Eren, you're mistaken." A bitter laugh escaped Erwin's lips as he coughed up a light splatter of spit and blood. 

"And who will save him from _you_?" Levi cocked the gun, fully intending on putting an end to the abomination before him. He'd kill Erwin. He'd kill Kenny. He'd kill the old him; start anew. He'd make sure Eren was safe from anyone that threatened his wellbeing-- including himself. Before he could bring himself to pull the trigger, he fell to his knees. His vision blurred. Trying to shake it off, he focused his eyes back on Erwin and lifted the gun again. To his horror, he was losing consciousness. 

"I hope you enjoyed your tea." 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is taken down to Erwin's basement. His health is still precarious.

Eren's feet dragged down the stairs before they reached the basement. It was dark, and it felt like there was no air; Eren noted that it was harder to breathe than upstairs, which didn't help the growing nausea lingering in the pit of his stomach. With a click, the room was lit up, and pupils took a few moments to adjust to the bright lights. The first thing Eren noticed was a big metal pole with chains wrapped around them. But... they looked broken. The grip Erwin had on him tightened and was suddenly painful as the man let out a murderous groan. 

"Impossible. _Impossible_ ," he murmured, shoving Eren to the ground before analyzing the broken chains. Eren didn't have to ask. This was where Levi was being kept, and this was also where Levi escaped. He wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing for his _own_ well being. But it was certainly good for Levi. 

"Erwin," said Eren through labored breathing. His mouth hung open with the intent to say more, but the energy just wasn't there. It took only moments for his body to really take a hit from an obvious lack of insulin. He had some food in his system, but that was just as dangerous as not eating when he didn't have the correct injection. Despite how upset Erwin obviously was with Eren, he looked pretty worried when he took in how weak and pale he looked. 

"I gave you insulin. I don't understand..." he said as he walked over to him and pulled him to his feet. Eren fought to keep even a semblance of composure, but his nausea was back, and with a vengeance. Even worse, it was really hard to breathe. His sugar was obviously high. Whatever Erwin gave him, even if it really was insulin, wasn't given correctly. 

This was a total nightmare. 

Barely a minute passed before Erwin took him back upstairs, gently this time, carrying him like a newborn baby. All Erwin wanted was to scare him. Show him that it was dangerous to reject him. He couldn't trust him or Levi to lead lives by themselves; they needed him. Whether they knew it or not. He was doing it for their own good. He wanted to take care of Eren, but right now, as he loaded him into the back of his car, the hairs on his spine were sharper than a porcupine's; what had he done wrong? He was just about to speed out of the driveway when a gunshot blasted through the back window. 

"Get him out of the car, you stupid fucking asshole!" 

This wasn't even possible. 

"Levi... how did you-"

"Just shut the fuck up and lay him down on the pavement. I have what he needs." He lowered the pistol and pulled a syringe and a small bottle of liquid out of of the bag that hanged off his shoulder. 

As much as this physically hurt Erwin, all it took was one glance at Eren's barely conscious self to sober any anger he had. He complied. Eren was laid on the ground, and Levi quickly unbuttoned his shirt so that his stomach was visible. He stabbed him with the syringe and Eren let out a sigh of relief, though he was in no hurry to get up. But his savior _was_ owed some thanks. 

"Levi-"

"Shut up, Eren. I want you to focus all of your energy on not vomiting all over these shoes. This blond asshole had the nerve to hold me captive while I was wearing them and he knows damn well they're my favorites." 

If Eren had the energy to smile, he would have. 

The two just sat there and took each other in for what felt like an eternity. Luckily for the weak kid, this somehow required zero energy. It was like breathing. Eren had no idea when Levi had latched onto his own hand. It felt like maybe it had always been there. 

So lost were they in each other's presence that they failed to notice that Erwin was no longer with them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ready to continue this story! i'm going somewhere different with it than where i was with the previous update.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi sleep together. Literally. Levi leaves for a dangerous mission and demands Eren stay put. All readers collectively roll their eyes.

"You feeling any better?" 

"Yeah."

"No hospital visit needed?"

"No." 

"You have to stop fucking with your blood sugar like that."

"Are you really blaming this on me, Levi?" 

Eren was resting on his bed, his entire body becoming one with the fluffy down comforter and plush pillows. It was decided that he'd have a tiny, scary roommate for a while until they knew where Erwin was.

Nobody was complaining. 

"Why'd you go to his house anyway? Surely you've deduced the man is a dangerous basket case by now." Levi was sitting indian style on the end of the bed, a cup of steaming tea cradled in his lap. 

"What does being a basket case have to do with anything? _You're_ a basket case." Levi stared at Eren, expressionless. A beat passed before he took a sip of his tea. "And anyway," he continued through a yawn, his legs stretching and gently touching Levi's knees through the blanket, "I _didn't_ go with him. He... uh. Well. He found me. And kinda took me." 

Levi continued to stare expressionlessly at Eren. The boy sighed and turned onto his side, one arm under the pillow to support his head. 

"I got really fucked up and he found me like that." Ah, there's what one could call an actual expression. How to describe it? ... Disgust, maybe? 

"Because you've had a hard day, I'll save the tongue lashing for being a total and complete idiot for later," replied Levi, calm yet tense in his tone. 

"Much appreciated. Can I sleep now?" asked Eren, voice muffled through the pillow. He'd rolled onto his stomach now. 

"What I'm wondering is how he even fucking found you. That's really _bothering_ me." Levi's hand was rubbing at his temple now, his brows tense. Eren could be heard laughing, unvoiced and nearly inaudible. Just puffs of air. Levi glared at him.

"And just what's so funny?" he snapped. 

"He found me because I texted you to come get me," he softly admitted. "He had your phone." 

There was nothing but silence for the next minute or so. Eventually, Levi turned the lights off and crawled into the bed. He pulled Eren onto his side, eliciting a sleepy grumble. 

"What are you doing?"

"Spooning you, obviously." 

"But I'm a stomach sleeper."

"Not tonight," he said in a low voice, nearly whispering. He pulled Eren closer and nuzzled into his neck. "I've almost lost you too many times. Let me enjoy the safety for once, of knowing you're right here. With me."

"Alright." 

___________________________________________________

"Have you ever fucked Erwin before?" A scoff from the man facing away from him gave away his wakefulness. 

"Why would you ask me that first thing in the morning?" The two had switched positions in their sleep, and now Eren's body outlined the smaller Levi's. Levi was a bit sweaty from all the body heat, but he didn't dare put any space between them. Besides, Eren ran cold. 

"Come on! I've always wondered. Have you fucked him? Like, on top, I mean?" 

"This is what you think about?" Suddenly, the back of the man's neck was met with a raking of teeth. "Did you just... bite me?" he asked, incredulous, yet as monotone as ever. 

"Answer the question." Another bite etched into Levi's neck, this time harder, and he elbowed Eren in the ribs in retaliation, eliciting a highly dramatic welp. 

"Baby." He jerked away from the boy and pulled himself out of bed with a stretch, a light yawn escaping his lips. "I have things to do today. _Important_ things." Eren suddenly felt less playful and was sitting up, head slanted as he looked to Levi who was now pulling on some jeans. 

"Okay, then," he replied, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"I want you to stay here." 

"Why?"

"Because you look like the human embodiment of every stupid baby animal video montage with those big, stupid, wide eyes of yours, and you look like an idiot. You're killer bait, and I'd rather not make myself so vulnerable." He pulled on a black, hooded jacket and zipped it up before walking to a drawer. Eren couldn't see what he pulled from it, but it was quickly stuffed in his jean pocket. A gun. 

Levi started for the door, but was stopped by a rigid yank backward. He sighed and turned around, keeping his gaze at his very short eye level, only the boy's chest in view. A few moments passed before Eren tipped his head up, a thumb supporting him beneath his chin. Eyes were locked. Goddamn, why did those eyes have to be so bright? The sunlight rising through the window brought out all the blues and greens that made up those big, dumb irises. 

"How come you never try to jump my bones anymore?" Eren's breath hit Levi's forehead. It felt wrong. 

But not. 

"I wont do that again. Not ever." The boy's head lowered until his lips just barely grazed the man's 

"So, what if I jump yours?" Eren slowly kissed him. It was light; a prolonged peck, really. But every cell in their bodies could feel it. 

"If you leave this apartment, I'll kill you myself," uttered Levi, ending the kiss and gently shoving Eren away, his hand lingering on the boy's chest a bit before heading towards the bedroom door. He turned over his shoulder to steal one more glance at the beautiful person he'd once almost killed. "And, yeah. I've fucked Erwin's brains out. A thousand times, probably." He left, the door closing all nonchalant like.

 _I fucking knew it._  


End file.
